Two Josephs and two Jacobs

In the first reference to Joseph in the  New Testament (NT) there is a hidden gem that is easily missed amongst the sixteen genealogical verses that are the start of Matthew chapter one. These verses list Joseph's ancestors back to Abraham in 1850 BC and the little gem relates to the name of Joseph's father: 

"and Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ" (Matthew 1:16).

What is interesting is that the Joseph of the Old Testament (a distant relative of the latter Joseph) also had father called Jacob: 

"The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin" (Genesis 46:19).

It seems a surprising coincidence and when we examine their lives it is apparent that there are intriguing parallels between them. 

Joseph with Jesus

⇨ Both endured humiliation and embarrassment 

From Genesis 37- 41 we know the Old Testament (OT) Joseph experienced many hardships before becoming the second-in-command of the kingdom of Egypt. Joseph was his father Jacob's favorite son and his brothers were jealous of him. This unfortunately led to a chain of events that would turn his world upside-down with him being:

In a similar manner the New Testament Joseph suddenly found his world turned upside-down when his betrothed became pregnant but not by him! All his marriage expectations suddenly changed and he had to come to grips with the fact that he wasn't the father! He considered breaking the betrothal in order to save Mary and himself from public shame but God told him that the child was of the Holy Spirit and Joseph was immediately to take her to be his wife (Matthew 1:20-24). He obeyed but this ensured that both he and Mary would not be able to hide from public ridicule which would have been considerable in those times.

⇨ God sent both of them to Egypt

Both Josephs ended up living in Egypt far from their families and homeland and, although they both didn't know this, they were preparing the way for God's future purposes to be fulfilled. 

  • Although Joseph (OT) was sold into slavery in Egypt, God used Jacob to be in a position to be able to save Jacob and his sons (Joseph's brothers) from the widespread famine that would spread throughout the Middle East 15-20 years into the future. By then God had miraculously enabled Joseph to become second only to Pharaoh in Egypt and he was the day-to-day administrative ruler of Egypt. Because of this he was able to ensure Jacob and his sons were saved from an assured death.
  • Joseph (NT) was sent by God to Egypt to hide the child Jesus from from death. In Israel King Herod had given an edict to find and kill the child who had been declared as 'the king of the Jews' by the Magi who had visited Herod after the birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:1-18). Joseph and his new wife Mary fled with Jesus and hid in Egypt for up to 18 months. When Herod died God told them that they could return to Israel. Because Herod's son Archelaus was now the new ruler they moved to Nazareth in Galilee which was regarded as the "boon-docks" of Israel. Joseph had expected to have returned to Bethlehem in Judah but God told him in a dream to "turn aside into the region of Galilee"(Matthew 2:19-22). The family lived there until the start of Jesus' ministry 25-27 years later. Living in obscurity had been part of Joseph's task to ensure that Jesus remained safe in preparation for His future ministry.

⇨ Both Had Similar Characteristics

Both Josephs show the hallmarks of being men who were righteous, spiritual and  obedient.  

  • Righteous - Joseph (OT) refused the lustful advances of a married woman knowing that she was a powerful woman who would not take his refusal well. As it was, she did falsely accuse him of rape and he paid the price for his righteousness (Genesis 39:1-20).

When Joseph (NT) found Mary was pregnant he carefully considered how to quietly break off the betrothal to save her the ignominy of divorce. At God's request he took Mary to be his wife and cared for her even though their marriage remained unconsummated. Because of this Joseph was described as a righteous man (Matthew 1:18-19). 

  • Spiritual - God spoke to both men in divine dreams. Joseph (OT) became well-known for his dreams much to the annoyance of his brothers. Joseph had dreamed that his brothers would one day bow down to him and he foolishly told them of this. As a result they, in their jealousy, sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:5-19). He later became well-known for interpreting dreams and, as a consequence, Joseph was raised to the position of the second-in-charge of Egypt after successfully interpreting Pharaoh's disturbing dreams (Genesis 41:1-42). 

Noting the fact there are very few references to Joseph in the New Testament it is surprising that most of these verses describe Joseph's four dreams and Joseph's obedient responses to them (Matthew 1:20-24, 2:13-14, 2:19-20, 2:22-23) In three of these dreams an angel of the Lord gives him instruction  and in the fourth God speaks to Joseph directly.

  • Obedient - Both Josephs were obedient to what God had called them to achieve and both were instrumental in preparing the way for the completion of God's significant purposes:
    • The first Joseph (OT) prepared the way for the establishment of the nation of Israel in the promised land from whom the Messiah would come (Genesis 50:24).
    • The second Joseph (NT) obediently did all that God had commanded him and consequently prepared the way for the establishment of the ministry of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel (Luke 3:23).
Why does this mean anything at all?

While the similarities between the two Josephs are interesting does this have any relevance to Christian believers today? My answer would be yes, yes and yes! These little gems highlight the integrated story of salvation that exists throughout the Bible from its beginning to its end. 

The first Joseph was pivotal in ensuring that the promises made to Abraham in Genesis about his descendants inheriting the promised would not end at Jacob and his sons (Genesis 13:14-17, 15:1-7). In due course Israel did inherit the land and, in time, the second Joseph obeyed God and ensured that second part of the promise to Abraham about his descendants being as numerous as the stars of the heavens, was fulfilled. Because Joseph protected Jesus as a child it meant that the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham would not stop at the apostate nation of Israel. Jesus' death and resurrection ensured all of humanity could now become descendants of Abraham by faith instead of being required to fulfill a series of laws.

Romans 4:13-16

13 For the promise that he (Abraham) would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the Law, but through the righteousness produced by faith. 14 For if those who were given the Law are the heirs, then faith is useless and the promise is worthless, 15 for the Law produces wrath. Now where there is no Law, neither can there be any violation of it. 16 Therefore, the promise is based on faith, so that it may be a matter of grace and may be guaranteed for all of Abraham’s descendants—not only for those who were given the Law, but also for those who share the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Painting:

Title: Joseph and the child Jesus
Artist: Jacob Leyssens (painted between 1680 and 1710)
Source: Public domain


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