JOSEPH A TYPE OF CHRIST...

I love the story of Joseph.  Such a beautiful picture of Christ.   Even if you do not know the Bible well you cannot miss some as you read through Genesis 37-50.  John MacArthur uses the following verses to show Joseph as a type of Christ.  There are many, many more.  A. W. Pink lists 101 and others more.

1.  Joseph was a shepherd of his father's sheep.

Genesis 37:2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.


 John 10:11, 27-29"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

2.  His father loved him dearly. 

Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
 
Matthew 3:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

3.  Hated by his brothers.

Genesis 37:4  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
 
John 7:4-5 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
 

4.  Sent by father to brothers.

Genesis 37:13-14  And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." So he said to him, "Here I am."  Then he said to him, "Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
 
Hebrews 2:11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,


5.  Others plotted to harm them. 

Genesis 37:20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!"


John 11:53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.


6.  Robes taken from them.

Genesis 37:23  So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 

John 19:23-24 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "THEY DIVIDED MY GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS." Therefore the soldiers did these things.


7.  Taken to Egypt. 

Genesis 37:26  So Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?


Matthew 2:14-15 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."


8.  Sold for the price of a slave.

Genesis 37:28  Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.


Matthew 26:15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.

9.  Tempted.

Genesis 39:7 And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."


Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

10.  Falsely accused. 

Genesis 39:16-18  So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."
 


 Matthew 26:59-60 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,  but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward


11. Bound in chains. 

Matthew 27:2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.


Genesis 39:20  Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

12. Placed with two other prisoners, one who was saved and the other lost. 

Luke 23:32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 

Genesis 40:2-3 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.


13.  Exalted after suffering.  

Genesis 41:41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."

 Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 


14.  Both 30 years old at the beginning of public recognition. 

Genesis 41:46  Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.


Luke 3:23  Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

15.  Both wept.

Genesis 42:24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Also see Genesis 45:2, 14,15; and 46:29

John 11:35  Jesus wept.

16.  Forgave those who wronged them. 

Genesis 45:1-15 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!" So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph; does my father still live?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. "Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph: "God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine." ' "And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here." Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.  Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
Luke 23:34  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

 17.  Saved their nation 
Genesis 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
 
Matthew 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."


18.  What men did to hurt them, God turned to good.  

Genesis 50:20  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.


1 Corinthians 2:7-8  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.