Joseph As A Type Of Christ

When we read carefully the story of Joseph, we're not merely watching the rise of a Hebrew slave to Egyptian royalty, we are beholding, through a veil, the unfolding of Yeshua’s journey from glory to suffering to exaltation. The Torah doesn’t waste words. Every thread in the tapestry carries eternal weight. And in the life of Joseph, the Ruach (Holy Spirit) etched the divine blueprint, a living prophecy, where Joseph's pain, silence, elevation, and reconciliation with his brothers point unmistakably to the greater Son who would one day come.

Joseph’s story begins with the declaration of his father’s love, which already sets the tone. In Genesis 37:3, we read, “וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת־יוֹסֵף מִכָּל־בָּנָיו” (“VeYisrael ahav et-Yosef mikol banav”), “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons.” Not that Jacob didn’t love the others, but Joseph was the son of Rachel, his beloved, and came to him in his old age. That word “אָהַב” (ahav), love, is deep covenantal affection. It echoes the voice of the Father in Matthew 3:17, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Yeshua, like Joseph, wasn’t just loved, He was the beloved.

Joseph dreams of greatness, and he is unashamed to share it. He sees sheaves bowing and stars submitting. But his brothers grow jealous and hateful. Genesis 37:8 says, “וַיּוֹסִפוּ עוֹד שְׂנֹא אֹתוֹ” (“vayosifu od s’no oto”), “they hated him even more.” The Hebrew “שָׂנֵא” (sane) carries not just dislike, but a bitter, hostile hatred. Yeshua, too, spoke plainly of His identity, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and for this, they picked up stones to kill Him.

Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers in Shechem, a mission of peace. Genesis 37:14: “לֶךְ-נָא רְאֵה אֶת-שְׁלוֹם אַחֶיךָ” (“lekh-na re’eh et-shalom acheikha”), “Go now, see about the peace of your brothers.” Joseph is obedient. Yeshua was also sent, the divine Shaliach (someone given full authority to act on behalf of the sender), to His brothers, the children of Israel. He came to seek their shalom (peace), and yet He was despised for it.

When Joseph approaches, his brothers plot murder. Genesis 37:18: “וַיִּתְנַכְּלוּ אֹתוֹ לַהֲמִיתוֹ” (“vayitnaklu oto leha’mito”), “they conspired against him to kill him.” The Hebrew root “נ-כ-ל” (n-k-l) here means to deal treacherously or deceitfully. This is betrayal in its full form. It mirrors Matthew 26:4, where the chief priests plotted to kill Yeshua by trickery. The parallel is not poetic, it is prophetic.

They strip Joseph of his coat. Genesis 37:23: “וַיַּפְשִׁיטוּ אֶת-יוֹסֵף אֶת-כְּתֹנֶת הַפַּסִּים” (“vayafshitū et-Yosef et-ketonet ha’passim”), “They stripped Joseph of his tunic, the multicolored one.” The word “פָּשַׁט” (pashat) means to make bare, to disrobe violently. In Matthew 27:28, the Roman soldiers stripped Yeshua and mocked Him with a “royal” robe and a “crown” of thorns. Both sons, innocent, are robbed of their dignity by those who should have loved them.

Joseph is cast into a pit, Genesis 37:24 calls it “בּוֹר רֵק, אֵין-בוֹ מָיִם” (“bor req, ein bo mayim”), “an empty pit, there was no water in it.” That’s not incidental. In ancient Hebrew thought, a dry pit represents abandonment, spiritual thirst, and even death. Jeremiah was later cast into a pit, and it symbolized descent into despair. Yeshua too was lowered into the heart of the earth, His tomb sealed in silence.

Joseph is sold for twenty pieces of silver. In Genesis 37:28, the Midianite traders hand him over. The Messiah is sold for thirty in Matthew 26:15. Again, not the amount, but the betrayal, the value placed on the righteous by the hands of the unrighteous. Zechariah 11:13 even speaks of thirty pieces of silver cast into the Temple, “the princely price at which they valued Me.”

Now Joseph is in Egypt, falsely accused and imprisoned. In Genesis 39:20, he’s bound for a crime he didn’t commit. This prison, בֵּית הַסֹּהַר (beit ha-sohar), is more than a jail, it was Pharaoh’s dungeon. Yeshua too bore the sentence of the guilty. Isaiah 53:8 says, “מִעֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט לֻקָּח” (“mi’otzer u’mimishpat luqach”), “By oppression and judgment He was taken away.” Both were innocent. Both were silent. And both remained faithful.

While in prison, Joseph interprets dreams, revelations from God that open doors of destiny. In Genesis 40, the cupbearer and baker dream of restoration and death. Joseph discerns their meanings correctly, yet he is forgotten. How familiar this is to the life of Yeshua, who also spoke of two of the four men crucified with Him, one who would be with Him in paradise, and the other who would not (Luke 23:43). Even in suffering, both Joseph and Yeshua ministered grace to others.

But then comes the elevation. Pharaoh dreams, and Joseph is remembered. In Genesis 41:14, “וַיְרִיצֻהוּ מִן-הַבּוֹר” (“vayeritzuhu min-habor”), “they hurried him out of the pit.” This is resurrection language. From darkness to light, from bondage to glory. Joseph is shaved, clothed, and stands before Pharaoh. In Philippians 2:9-11, we are told that because Yeshua humbled Himself to death, even the death of the cross, God has highly exalted Him. Every knee shall bow.

Joseph is given a new name, Zaphenath-paneah (צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ). Ancient Egyptian scholars interpret it as “the revealer of secrets” or “the savior of the world.” In John 4:42, the Samaritans declare of Yeshua, “We know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” Coincidence? No. The Spirit was dropping breadcrumbs, and Joseph was the trailhead.

Joseph marries a Gentile bride, Asenath, daughter of the priest of On. This Gentile connection is powerful. Yeshua too is betrothed to a bride made up not only of Jews but of Gentiles grafted into the covenant (Romans 11:17). The mystery of the One New Man (Ephesians 2:15) begins to unfold here, hidden in Egypt, wrapped in story.

During famine, Joseph opens the storehouses. Genesis 41:56, “וַיִּפְתַּח יוֹסֵף אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם” (“vayiftach Yosef et kol-asher bahem”), “Joseph opened all that was in them.” The world came to Joseph for bread. Yeshua said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall not hunger.” During spiritual famine, He feeds those who come. Joseph’s bread gave life during a natural drought. Yeshua’s bread gives life eternal.

Then the day of recognition comes. Genesis 42:8, “יוֹסֵף הִכִּיר אֶת-אֶחָיו, וְהֵם לֹא הִכִּרֻהוּ” (“Yosef hikir et-echav, ve’hem lo hikiruhu”), “Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.” What a haunting truth. So many of Yeshua’s own people do not recognize Him yet. But He knows them. Just as Joseph waited for the right moment to reveal himself, Messiah waits, drawing out repentance, not condemnation.

Genesis 45:1-3 contains one of the most emotional unveilings in all Scripture. Joseph cries out, “I am Joseph, does my father still live?” The Hebrew “אֲנִי יוֹסֵף” (“Ani Yosef”) lands like a thunderclap. The brothers are speechless. Then Joseph weeps. Not in anger, but in mercy. Genesis 45:5 is gospel in Torah form: “And now, do not be grieved… for God sent me before you to preserve life.” Just like Yeshua on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Joseph doesn’t hold the betrayal against them. He sees God’s hand. “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). The Hebrew is poignant: “אַתֶּם חֲשַׁבְתֶּם עָלַי רָעָה, אֱלֹהִים חָשְׁבָהּ לְטוֹבָה” (“atem chashavtem alai ra’ah, Elohim chashvah le’tovah”), “You plotted evil against me, God plotted it for good.” This is Romans 8:28 centuries before Paul ever wrote it.

And in the end, Joseph makes provision for his brothers. He gives them wagons, food, garments, silver, land, and safety. It’s the picture of restoration. This is where the story heads. One day, Yeshua will reveal Himself fully to His Jewish brothers. Zechariah 12:10, “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced.” And in that day, there will be mourning and joy. The One they did not recognize will be the One who has preserved their lives.

Joseph is not just a character in Genesis. He is a living echo of our Messiah. Through betrayal, obedience, humility, and exaltation, he testifies of the One who would come. And now, through Joseph, we see Yeshua’s beauty more clearly. Hidden in the pit, revealed in the palace, bread in famine, and mercy in judgment.

He is Joseph, and He is more. He is Yeshua, the One who was rejected, but is now seated at the right hand of Majesty. And soon, all will bow, not out of force, but out of recognition. “Ani Yeshua”, I am Yeshua. And He will weep as He embraces His brethren.

Image done by deepdream.ai at my description.