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Colossians 1, 21-22
Dear Lord, 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 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 Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for praying with me today. Stay tuned now for another episode of Stories of the Messiah with Rabbi Schneider.
Joseph finally made it down the hill and approached his brothers. Before he could say a word, Judah struck him on the jaw. Joseph fell to the ground and looked up. "Hello, dreamer!" Judah mocked. All his brothers were walking towards him with hatred in their eyes. Joseph turned to run, but Dan was behind him and body checked him onto the side of the canyon.
Joseph was dazed and backed into a corner. He tried to run through his brothers, but they swiftly struck him down and tore off his colorful coat. A rain of fists came upon Joseph until he was finally drug by his feet to one of the pits and thrown in. Joseph hit the cold, jagged ground and gasped. Then all went dark. Welcome to the Stories of the Messiah podcast. I'm your host, Rabbi Kurt Schneider, with Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
It's been my joy to guide you through our first season of Jesus the Greater. 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, 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 walks with God.
This podcast aims to highlight one prevailing truth. Jesus is greater than all these heroes. Their stories, as compelling as they might be, were mere foreshadows 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 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 brothers, inspiring them to anger and jealousy. How will Joseph fare under the resentful ire of his brothers? Let's find out in this epic retelling of Genesis 37.
Jealousy corrupted the sons of Jacob from the inside out. Whatever affection they had for their youngest brother had been choked out by jealous contempt. Their father favored Joseph and gave him the love and respect they desperately desired. Even worse, Joseph flaunted his status in front of his brothers. He paraded himself in his colorful coat and dreamed of ruling over his brothers. They hated him for his dreams. They seethed in resentful rage.
As Joseph approached from the hills, they whispered evil plans to each other. Here comes the dreamer, one of them murmured. We should kill him and throw him into the pit, another scowled. We could tell father a wild animal devoured him. Joseph was getting closer, and the brothers' collective anger grew hotter by the second. Yes, let's kill him. Then we'll see what becomes of his dreams. Joseph waved to his brothers and jogged towards them.
Before he was in earshot, Reuben spoke to his brothers, saying, "Do not shed his blood," he warned. "Throw him into the pit, in the wilderness, and let nature take its course." Reuben had planned to save his brother later, but did not want his brother's scorn directed towards him. Joseph finally made it down the hill and approached his brothers. Before he could say a word, Judah struck him on the jaw. Joseph fell to the ground and looked up. "Hello, dreamer," Judah mocked.
All his brothers were walking towards him with hatred in their eyes. Joseph turned to run, but Dan was behind him and body checked him onto the side of the canyon. Joseph was dazed and backed into a corner. He tried to run through his brothers, but they swiftly struck him down and tore off his colorful coat. A rain of fists came upon Joseph until he was finally drug by his feet to one of the pits and thrown in. Joseph hit the cold, jagged ground and gasped.
Then all went dark. Joseph's brothers sat underneath the canyon to eat. Reuben had left, and the rest of the brothers debated Joseph's fate. A caravan of Ishmaelites from Gilead were passing through with their camels. They were traders selling gum, blam, and myrrh. A smile coiled around Judah's face when he saw them. He knew the Ishmaelites also traded another type of good. What good is Joseph to us dead?
Killing him would just be a chore for us to clean up. Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and split the profit. The brothers agreed and waved down the Ishmaelites to broker a deal. He's there in the pit, Judah pointed. He's a strong young man, handsome and educated. I'm sure someone like him would be useful to you. The Ishmaelites were on their way to Egypt and knew they could sell him for a higher price than they bought him for. They gave the brothers 20 pieces of silver, tied Joseph up and carted him away to Egypt.
Judah held the money in his hands and watched his brother leave. The bag was heavy, heavy enough to drag his entire soul into darkness. Joseph turned back to his brothers. It seemed as though his dreams of greatness had faded away. Yet there was something even greater happening behind the scenes. God was orchestrating beauty out of the darkness. Joseph would be carted away as a slave.
rise through the ranks of the captain of the guard, be thrown into prison, rise out of prison, and ultimately placed at the right hand of Pharaoh himself. Joseph's rise was unexpected, and he became the savior of Egypt. His wisdom saved Egypt from a famine that blighted the surrounding region. Joseph's brothers were desperate and forced to go to Egypt for food. So Joseph stood before his brothers again, able to enact his revenge and condemn them.
But Joseph was not a man of wrath. No, he chose to save his brothers from the famine. Joseph embraced them, and they found refuge under his care. He would not just be their deliverer, but also their king. Joseph's story would be an anthem of God's redeeming love and provision. Yet his story was but a shadow of something greater to come.
Joseph's 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 would make sense for him to hold a grudge. Nobody would blame him if he harbored some resentment towards 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.
This tale of redemption is found throughout the Bible. At Discovering the Jewish Jesus, we're passionate about uncovering these redemptive treasures. The story of Joseph points us to another story.
Persecuted and thrown into a grave to die, Joseph rose as a redeemer. Does that sound familiar to all of you? If it doesn't, 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. The moon's silvery beams slithered through the cracks in the cloud covering. The air was wet and frigid, signaling an incoming storm.
The moonlight hovered over the temple. Down the polished holes of the temple was the high priest's palace. Torches were mounted on each corner of the court, illuminating the grimaces of the elders and chief priests. They sat round a table, conspiring against the one who claimed to be the Son of God. The high priest Caiaphas presided over them with his hands folded over his mouth.
Jealousy had corrupted the leaders of Israel from the inside out. Whatever affection they ought to have had for Jesus had been choked out by jealous contempt. The people favored Jesus and gave him the love and respect that they desperately desired. The priests and Pharisees felt their influence slipping away with every miracle, sermon, and public act.
Under the torchlight of the temple courts, the high priest Caiaphas presided over a group of Pharisees, scribes, and priests to plan Jesus' death.
"We can arrest him in secret!" one of them whispered. "We could kill him before he has a chance to gain more followers." They conspired against the Son of God under the guise of righteousness. The cold halls carried muffled whispers of murder. Caiaphas and the chief priests plotted into the night, pining after a perfect moment to seize Jesus. Their bickering ceased when they heard a knock on the door.
The temple guards entered with a hooded figure standing between them. Lord Caiaphas, this man claims to have information about Jesus. Judas stepped out of the darkness into the torchlight. Caiaphas laughed. I know you. He sneered. You are one of his twelve disciples, no? Judas ignored his laughter and went straight to the point. What will you give me if I deliver him to you? He said quickly. Caiaphas' smile disappeared.
He stood to his feet and circled Judas as a wolf does to its prey. "Tell me, Judas, what did your master do to warrant this betrayal?" Judas closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. The slithering presence of Satan loomed over him like a dark cloud. Although he had all the choice in the world to turn back, he felt helpless to do anything else. He opened his eyes and rolled his shoulders back.
With confidence, he said, "I have what you want, which is information on the whereabouts and weaknesses of Jesus. You have what I want, which is silver in my purse. Do you want to be partners or not?" Caiaphas's smile returned. "So, you're a simple man," he teased. "Very well. Thirty pieces of silver should be more than enough for your services."
He gestured for one of the priests to retrieve the money for Judas. They handed him a sack of thirty pieces of silver. Judas held it in his hand. The bag was heavy, heavy enough to drag his entire soul into darkness. Jesus would be betrayed for a few pieces of silver by those who should have been his kinsmen. Yet there was something even grander happening behind the scenes. God was orchestrating beauty out of the darkness.
Jesus would be bound, tried, and crucified. He would be buried in the grave and rise again to redeem the people who conspired to kill him. He would not just be their deliverer, but also their king. He would usher in the kingdom that they had desperately pined after. Jesus would rise to rescue even his greatest enemies. Let's take a moment to 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 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 be a king. Jesus was thrown into the grave 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 from our sins. Colossians 1 says,
That although we were enemies of God in our minds and evil in our deeds, Christ died for us so we might be holy and free. Both Joseph and Jesus overcame the hatred of their enemies and chose to redeem them instead of hate them. You and I are beneficiaries of that love. Although we were enemies of God, 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 foreshadow of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross, 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, 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 next time to discover how Jesus is the greater Moses.
Are you interested in further exploring the presence of Jesus in the Old Testament? If so, head over to our website, discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Additionally, my latest book, Messianic Prophecy Revealed, Seeing Messiah in the Pages of the Hebrew Bible, can offer you valuable insights. You can obtain a copy of it at my website.
If you enjoyed today's podcast, leave us a review and share it with a friend. We want the story of the Bible and the hope of Jesus to be spread worldwide. To make prayer a priority and hear more stories that inspire you, go to pray.com.