The Messiah Our Redeemer: Part 6 of 12

VI. Messiah, Son of Joseph

The Bible is a book that contains a variety of tensions where a balance must be found between two seemingly irreconcilable truths. Faith and works is one common example. Which is more important or are they of equal importance? The apostolic writer James, reconciled the conflict this way, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 1:18). James then goes on to say that a person’s faith and works should be “one” just as God is “one”.

Another example involves the circumstances surrounding the appearing of the LORD’S Messiah to His people. The Jewish Sages observed that in one place scripture says, “See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey” (Zech 9:9), while in another place the text says, “I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Dan 7:13). How could both these passages be true when they appear to be irreconcilable? The Talmud reconciled these passages this way…

Rabbi Joseph the son of Levi objects that it is written in one place, “Behold one like the son of man comes with the clouds of heaven”, but in another place it is written “lowly and riding upon an ass”. The solution is, if they be righteous he shall come with the clouds of heaven, but if they not be righteous he shall come lowly riding upon an ass. (Sanhedrin 98a)

As the Sages identified the prophecies about the coming Messiah in scripture, they were faced with two contradictory people. Some passages told of a servant who would reign as king on the throne of David. However, other passages told of a servant who would suffer humiliation and physical harm.

Some of the Sages came to accept the possibility that the scriptures spoke of two different Messiahs. In Rabbinic literature, the first became known as “Mashiach ben Yosef” (Messiah the son of Joseph). This Messiah was associated with a time of victory mixed with hardship and suffering (Talmud b. Sukkah 52a). Then a second Messiah, “Mashiach ben David” (Messiah the son of David), would come and establish God’s kingdom on the earth. Some Sages believed that if the Jewish nation would become completely obedient, then only one Messiah, the son of David, would come. Although two Messiah prototypes were recognized, the Son of David became the central focus of Jewish thought by the first century (Matt 22:41-46).

Yet, the concept of Joseph as a suffering servant remained. For the believer in Yeshua, the comparison is remarkable.

 Joseph was sent by his father to check on the welfare of his brothers (Gen 37:13). Yeshua was also sent to speak the words of the Father to the nation (John 14:24).

 Joseph was unjustly persecuted by his brothers who, “plotted against him to put him to death” (Gen 37:18). Joseph was then sold to the Ishmaelites (Gen 37:28). “The chief priests and elders of the people…plotted…to seize Yeshua by stealth and kill Him” (Matt 26:3-4). Yeshua was then “handed over to the Gentiles” to be mocked, insulted, flogged and killed (Luke 18:32).

 Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver (Gen 37:28). Yeshua was sold for thirty pieces of silver (Matt 26:15), as foretold by Zechariah, “Throw it to the potter – the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter” (Zech 11:12-13).

 Joseph was sent to Egypt to prepare salvation for the Jewish people (Gen 50:20). Yeshua means “Salvation” as was written, “you are to give him the name Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21), having been foretold by Zechariah, “See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation” (Zech 9:9).

 The heart of Joseph loved and longed for his brothers (Gen 43:30). Yeshua spoke of the nation of Israel in this manner, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matt 23:37).

 Joseph’s brothers did not recognize Joseph when they saw him because Joseph was disguised, speaking in a foreign language and dressed in clothes, jewelry, and make-up of the Egyptians. Believers in Yeshua have also imposed their own culture on Yeshua making Him into their image and not the image of the Jewish Messiah who walked on the earth.

 Joseph’s brothers did not recognize Joseph until he revealed himself. Yeshua will not be recognized by the nation until the LORD “will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son” (Zech 12:10).

 Joseph showed no animosity towards his brothers, but said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” (Gen 50:20-21). From the cross, Yeshua said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

 Joseph was called out of the grave three days after Passover when Israel was saved out of Egypt, in accordance with his instructions, “God will surely come to your aid and then you must carry my bones up from this place” (Gen 50:25). Yeshua died on Passover, was placed in the grave of a man named Joseph (Matt 27:59-60). He arose on the third day (Luke 24:46), following the pattern of Jonah and the words of Hosea who wrote of the nation, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us” (Hosea 6:2).

In addition to scripture, the Jewish Sages have further added…

 The brothers of Joseph cast lots for Joseph’s coat (Genesis Rabbah 84:8). Of Yeshua, “they divided up his clothes by casting lots” (Matt 27:35), fulfilling the words of the Psalmist, “they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Psa 22:18).

 Joseph was placed in a cistern for three days and three nights (Testament of Zebulun 4:4). Of Yeshua it was written, “the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt12:40).

 Joseph did not drink wine while he was separated from his brothers until he was reunited with his brothers (Genesis Rabbah 93:7). Yeshua said, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt 26:29).

Now comes an interesting twist to the story from the Jewish Sages. They observed that Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, was not with his brothers when they betrayed Joseph. He remained unmentioned until the brothers were forced to take Benjamin to Egypt. In Jewish thought, Benjamin represents the righteous remnant of the nation, not involved in the betrayal. When Benjamin reappears in the story, he receives a portion at Joseph’s table that is five times the amount of anyone else (Gen 43:34)(Gen 45:22).

Later, when Moses blessed the tribe of Benjamin he said, “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders” (Deut 33:12). The Jewish Talmud interpreted this blessing to mean that the Temple of the LORD would reside in the land of Benjamin because of his righteousness.

Like Benjamin, there always remains a righteous remnant of the nation to be revealed in the latter days, as is written,

“I myself (LORD) will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number” (Jer 23:3).

If Benjamin stands as an example, the nation of Israel will receive a significant blessing from God at the acceptance of the Messiah. As the apostolic author Paul has written of the nation, “If their transgression means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring?” (Rom 11:12).

Finally, the birth of Benjamin can be seen to represent two separate events associated with the Messiah. To Rachel, her son was Ben-oni, “the son my trouble” because she suffered in the delivery and died soon after her son was born. However, to Jacob, his son was Benjamin, “the son of my right hand”, because he brought strength to his father even amidst Jacob’s suffering at the loss of Rachel.

The difficulty and anguish of Rachel’s delivery in seen in scripture to parallel the frequent suffering of the nation, “Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted” (Jer 31:15). The birth of Ben-oni is seen to foreshadow the days leading up to the appearing of the Messiah, often referred to as the “birth pains of the Messiah” and “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer 30:5-7).

If Ben-oni represents the days of suffering associated with the coming of the Messiah, then Benjamin must represent the strength brought to the nation at the revealing of the Messiah. In a similar manner, Yeshua suffered and the nation suffered at His first coming, but Yeshua and the remnant of the nation will be strengthened and glorified at His second coming.