JOSEPH SON OF JACOB AS A "TYPE" OF CHRIST
The fathers of the Church saw the story of Joseph and his brothers as an allegory for the story of Jesus and His brothers, the Jews. They saw Jacob as a figure of God the Father and his beloved son Joseph as a "type" of the Christ who God identified as His Son at Jesus Baptism, declaring "This is my beloved Son" (Gen 37:3; Mt 3:17). The gift of Joseph's multi-colored coat came to represent the multiform glory of the Son that He manifested during His three year ministry, which caused Jesus' brothers the Jews, like Joseph's brothers, to come to envy Him and to conspire to kill him. To the fathers of the Church, Joseph's coat of many colors given him by his loving father as a sign of his authority over his brothers not only came to represent the gifts of power God gave His beloved Son, but also the spiritual gifts God gave His Son's Bride, the Universal Church as a sign her authority over the brotherhood of the human family.
| JOSPEH | JESUS |
| Joseph's father gave him authority over his brothers | Jesus was given all authority from the Father. |
| Joseph escaped death by going into Egypt. | Jesus escaped death by going into Egypt |
| He was betrayed by his brothers, the sons of Jacob/Israel. | Jesus was betrayed by his brothers, the sons of Israel—the Jews. |
| Joseph's brothers believed he was dead, but he was found to be alive. | Jesus was believed to be dead, but He was found to be alive. He was Resurrected from the dead. |
| Joseph was the beloved son of Jacob/Israel. | Jesus is a "son" of Israel (descendant) and He is also the beloved Son of God. |
| Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2008 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved. | |