Joseph and Joseph

Two Men Named Joseph

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The Bible tells about two important men named Joseph. Both had dreams from God, and both went down to Egypt. One lived in the book of Genesis. The other was Mary's husband. God used both of them to keep His people safe.

Joseph the dreamer. “Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more” (Genesis 37:5). This Joseph was Jacob's favorite son.

Sold to Egypt. His brothers sold him to traders, “and they took Joseph to Egypt” (Genesis 37:28).

God was with him. “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man” (Genesis 39:2). Even in prison, “the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy” (Genesis 39:21).

Raised up. Pharaoh told him, “You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word” (Genesis 41:40).

Saving lives. Joseph told his brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5). He fed his whole family during the famine.

Evil turned to good. “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good... to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

Joseph forgave. Joseph wept over his brothers and kissed them (Genesis 45:15). He told them, “Do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones” (Genesis 50:21).

Joseph of Nazareth. Many hundreds of years later, another Joseph was engaged to Mary. Matthew 1:16 says his father was named Jacob, just like the first Joseph's father.

Another dreamer. God spoke to this Joseph in dreams too: “behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream” (Matthew 2:13).

Down to Egypt. Like the first Joseph, he went to Egypt. He took the young Child and His mother “by night and departed for Egypt” (Matthew 2:14).

Keeping the family safe. The first Joseph kept Jacob's family alive. The second Joseph kept Jesus safe, the One who would save the whole world.

A picture of Jesus. Many Christians see the first Joseph as a picture of Jesus. He was loved by his father, rejected by his brothers and sold for silver. Then he was raised up to save the very people who had hurt him.

Two Josephs, one God. The same God guided both men. He worked through the first Joseph's hard years in Egypt, and He worked through the second Joseph's quick obedience in the night.

What we learn. God is in control even when life goes wrong. He was with both Josephs, and He is with you.

Genesis and Matthew both tell of a Joseph, and the likeness between them shows God's faithfulness across many centuries.

Two fathers named Jacob. Genesis 37 begins with Jacob and his son Joseph. Matthew 1:16 names Jacob as the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Both Josephs were sons of a Jacob.

Dreams. In Genesis, Joseph dreamed about his future (Genesis 37:5-10) and later explained Pharaoh's dreams, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:16). In Matthew, Joseph received four messages in dreams, and each one was a command that he obeyed.

Egypt as rescue. Genesis ends with Israel's family brought to Egypt to survive the famine (Genesis 45:7; 47:12). Matthew 2 brings the Messiah to Egypt to survive Herod. In both stories Egypt is the place where God preserves life.

Acts 7:9-10. Stephen told the story this way: “the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him.” Envy drove Joseph's brothers, and envy drove King Herod.

Genesis 50:20. Joseph summed up his own life: “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” God did not cause the brothers' sin, but He ruled over it “to save many people alive.”

A picture of Christ. Many Christians see the first Joseph as a picture of Jesus. Joseph was rejected by his own brothers; Jesus “came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Joseph was sold for silver; Judas was paid “thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15). Joseph was raised from the pit to rule and rescue the brothers who had rejected him.

Forgiveness. Joseph wept over his brothers and promised, “I will provide for you and your little ones” (Genesis 50:21). Forgiving those who harmed him was part of how God saved the family, and it is a picture of how Jesus forgives us.

The limits of the picture. Joseph of Genesis was a sinner like us. Only Jesus is the sinless Savior. The likeness points to Jesus, but Jesus is far greater.

Joseph of Nazareth. Matthew 1:19 calls him a just man, which means a man who did what was right before God. He showed it by quick, quiet obedience.

Application. When people treat you unfairly, remember Joseph. God sees, God is with you, and God can bring good out of what others meant for harm.

A Quiet, Faithful Father

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Joseph of Nazareth never says a word in the Bible, yet his life teaches us a lot. He trusted God, obeyed quickly and cared for Jesus and Mary.

A good man. Matthew 1:19 calls Joseph a just man. That means he wanted to do what was right in God's eyes.

Quick to obey. When the angel told him to go, “he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt” (Matthew 2:14). He did exactly what God said, right away.

Again and again. In Egypt the angel told him to return, and “he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel” (Matthew 2:21).

Not afraid to obey. Joseph had to leave his home, his work and his friends. He went anyway, because he trusted the God who sent him.

Careful and wise. When Joseph heard about Archelaus, “he was afraid to go there” (Matthew 2:22). God guided him, and Joseph followed.

God's promise. God guides His people still: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8).

A home for Jesus. Joseph made a home in Nazareth. There “the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40).

Faithful in ordinary days. Joseph and Mary kept the law of the Lord (Luke 2:39). “His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover” (Luke 2:41).

Jesus obeyed too. At Nazareth Jesus “was subject to them” (Luke 2:51). Subject means He obeyed Mary and Joseph.

He grew. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). Stature means height.

The Father behind the father. Joseph cared for Jesus, but Jesus knew His true Father: “Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?” (Luke 2:49).

Our Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). Everyone who trusts Jesus is welcomed into God's family.

Amazing love. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

What we learn. God uses quiet, faithful people. You do not need to be famous to matter to God.

What to do. Thank God for the people who care for you. This week, when a parent asks you to do something, do it right away, like Joseph.

Joseph's greatness is in his obedience. In Matthew 1–2 he never speaks, but every time God speaks, he acts.

A just man (Matthew 1:19). The Greek word dikaios (say: DIK-eye-oss) means righteous: a person whose life lines up with God's law. Joseph showed it by being faithful to God and gentle with Mary.

Obedience in every detail. In 2:14 and 2:21 Joseph does each thing the angel said: he arose, he took the Child and His mother, and he went. Obedience means doing what God said, the way He said it, when He said it.

Fear and faith (2:22). Joseph “was afraid to go there,” and God answered his fear with guidance. Feeling afraid is not sin; refusing to trust God is. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3).

A father's protection. In Matthew 2, Joseph's role is to protect. God gave His eternal Son a human father to shelter Him. The Son, who made the world, chose to depend on an earthly family.

Luke 2:49 and 2:51. At twelve, Jesus spoke of “My Father's business,” and then He went home and “was subject to them.” He knew who His true Father was, and He still honored Joseph and Mary. He kept “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12) perfectly.

A picture of adoption. Joseph took a Son who was not his by birth and raised Him as his own. Many Christians see a picture of the gospel here. God takes us, who were not His children, and makes us His own: “you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). Abba (say: AH-bah) is the Aramaic word for Father, used by a child.

A home that worshiped. Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem “every year at the Feast of the Passover” (Luke 2:41). Joseph led his household in worship, and Jesus grew up in a home that kept God's Word.

1 John 3:1. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” Being God's child is a gift of His love, not a reward we earn.

Application. Faithfulness is often quiet: obeying when no one is watching, protecting the weak and doing the next right thing. Ask God to make you that kind of person, and honor the people who care for you.

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