Jesus is the Greater Joseph

Betrayed and sold for a few pieces of silver, all to redeem the ones who persecuted him. Sound familiar? Joseph’s redemptive arc is an image of Christ.

Today's Bible verse is Colossians 1:21-22, from the King James Version.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray you, being in pastimes, alienated in enemies,
in your mind, in your evil deeds. Yet now he
is reconciled in the body of his flesh through death,
to present you holy and without defect and blameless before
him Colossians one twenty one through twenty two. Dear Lord,

(00:23):
although we were once far from you and hostile to
the work of your spirit, you redeemed us. You saved
us from our sins even when we were your enemies.
You are truly good and abundant in grace. We pray
that you would make us more like you. Form our

(00:44):
hearts like clay into your glorious image. Teach us to
be merciful, gracious, and patient as you are. Teach us
to love even those against us, so that we might
be examples of your love to the world. Empower us
to walk in your ways even when it's difficult. In

(01:06):
Jesus's name, Amen, Thank you for praying with me today.
Stay tuned now for another episode of Stories of the
Messiah with Rabbi Schneider. Welcome to the Jesus Podcast. I'm

(02:20):
your host Ethan frompray dot Com, here to guide you
through some of the Bible's greatest stories. If you've enjoyed
our journey thus far, consider leaving us a review and
sharing it with a friend. We want the story of
the Bible and the hope of Jesus to be spread worldwide.
Many of us have learned about Biblical heroes like Noah, David,

(02:41):
and Daniel. We've learned about their courage, obedience, and faith
in God. There are many lessons to gain from their lives,
lessons we can apply to our own walks with God.
This podcast aims to highlight one prevailing truth. Jesus is
greater than all these heroes. Their stories, as compelling as

(03:03):
they might be, were mere foreshadowings of the Gospel. Today's
character is no exception. Joseph was a son turned slave,
a slave turned prisoner, and a prisoner turned king. His
rise to redeem the very people who betrayed him is
a promise of greater redemption. Join me now as we

(03:25):
dive back into the story of Joseph. At this point
in his story, his father Jacob has given him favor
over his other sons. Joseph dreamed of ruling over his brother,
inspiring them to anger and jealousy. How will Joseph fare
under the resentful ire of his brothers. Let's find out

(03:46):
in this epic retelling of Genesis, chapter thirty seven. Joseph's

(08:23):
story is one of heartbreak and triumph. He was sold
into slavery because of his brother's jealousy, and then sent
to prison to despair and suffer. But Joseph rose out
of that prison, and not only did he rise out
of prison, but he rose to become a king. After
hearing how Joseph was betrayed and sent into slavery, it

(08:44):
would make sense for him to hold a grudge. Nobody
would blame him if he harbored some resentment toward his
brothers and wanted nothing to do with them. However, Joseph
redeemed them. When a famine blighted the land and his
brothers came to Egypt seeking help, he showed them kindness
and mercy. Although they deserved punishment and wrath. Persecuted and

(09:09):
thrown into a grave to die, Joseph rose as a redeemer.
Does this story sound familiar at all to you? If
it doesn't yet, then it will soon. Let's fast forward
to the time of Jesus. Let's walk through the cold
hallways of the high Priest where a group of prominent
Jews conspire to kill Jesus. Let's take a moment to

(13:39):
consider the lives of Joseph and Jesus. Joseph was the
preferred and fortunate son of Jacob. Jesus was the favored
and blessed son of God. Joseph was betrayed by those
closest to him for a few pieces of silver. Jesus
was betrayed by one of his disciples for a few

(14:00):
pieces of silver. Jealousy and bitterness sent Joseph into slavery,
and jealousy and bitterness sent Jesus to the cross. Yet
both instances were used as redemptive tools in the hands
of God. Joseph was thrown into prison and rose out
to become a king. Jesus was thrown into the grave

(14:22):
and rose out to prove his authority as king. Joseph
redeemed the very people who had sinned against him. And
although we sinned against Jesus, he came to save us.
He came to save us from our sins. Colossians Chapter
one says that although we were enemies of God in

(14:42):
our minds and evil in our deeds, Christ died for
us so that we might be holy. Both Joseph and
Jesus overcame the hatred of their enemies and chose to
redeem them instead of hating them. You and I are
beneficiaries of that love. Although we were enemies of God,

(15:05):
Christ died for us. Christ died for us and raised
us with him. The parallels between Jesus and Joseph go on.
Joseph's fall into the grave and rise as a selfless
king was a foreshadowing of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross,

(15:26):
rose from the grave, and now offers us new life.
Joseph's story reminds us that God can use tragedy and
darkness to orchestrate redemption. This is also the story of Jesus,
who overcame darkness to save us. In this way, we
know for certain that Jesus is the greater Joseph. Next time,

(15:50):
we'll watch God appoint a hero to lead Israel's descendants
out of slavery. His epic journey points to a greater
liberation ahead for God's people. Join us for our next
episode to discover how Jesus is the greater Moses.