The Pattern of the Savior — Joseph, Moses, and Yeshua

People Chosen for a Moment in History

All the readings of Parashat Vayigash are what I would call "programmatic." Programmatic means that they set in motion a program, a divine plan, a system that will influence the rest of history. The tone is set in these readings and we today, thousands of years on this side of history, are still being strongly influenced and harvesting the fields that were seeded by our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — Israel.

We learn from the story of Joseph that the path of some people's life is predetermined, not for salvation but for their part in history. We see this in the life of Moses, and Jeremiah the prophet, and King David, and Yeshua himself, and Joseph the son of Rachel and Jacob. There are people who are created and chosen for a day in history, for a moment that changes destiny, not only for themselves — and not always for their own ease and good life — but for the history of mankind. This is true for so many different characters in biblical history but also in secular history (if there really is such a thing as a secular history). People like Theodor Herzl, and David Ben-Gurion, and General MacArthur in World War II.

It is no secret that rabbinical Judaism has developed a concept of two messiahs. The Messiah-son-of-Joseph and the Messiah-son-of-David. The Messiah-son-of-Joseph is the Messiah of Isaiah 53, and the Messiah-son-of-David is from Isaiah 63 — a reigning and kingly Messiah, riding with His sword in His hand to bring judgment on all flesh and rule the world in righteousness.

The Pattern — Joseph, Moses, Yeshua

Joseph is a savior figure, he represents a kind of pattern for what a savior figure should be in this world of God! Moses is also a savior figure. He had to spend 40 years serving a pagan priest — Jethro, a priest of Midian. He didn't get much honor for being the prince of Egypt. He suffered among the Gentiles for the second 40 years of his life. He suffered the third 40 years, leading the children of Israel in the wilderness, and bringing them to the entrance to the land of Canaan.

The ultimate example of this same pattern that is still influencing the whole world, is of course Yeshua of Nazareth. The pattern started with Joseph, continued with Moses, and was ultimately fulfilled and played out in the manifestation of Yeshua, the one Messiah, son of Joseph and son of David. On a smaller scale every man of God had to more or less fulfill the same pattern. The prophets of the Lord didn't have a plush life of comfort and riches because they spoke the word of the Lord in the city squares and from the walls of the cities of Israel. They too suffered and paid dearly for their calling, to speak the word of God to people who didn't really want to hear it.

This was something that all these characters that God has chosen to do a job - to take a challenge and catapult their nations and human history to a totally different plane - had in common. Yes, Joseph understood this was his role and he didn't look back with regret for all the trouble and the years in the Egyptian jail, and the hate that he experienced.

Romans 8 and the Story of Joseph

Here are the words of the apostle Paul, words that the story of Joseph in Egypt demonstrated better than any other story in the Bible:

The connection of the words of Paul and the story of Joseph is very strong. My name is Joseph and I am named after my grandfather whose name was Joseph, and my great grandfather's name was Joseph. But, I can confess that I didn't inherit that grand trait and character of Joseph the son of Jacob to see in all my trials and tribulations the hand of God to turn suffering and bitterness to joy and privilege for the sake of Israel and the Kingdom of God. If early in my walk with the Lord, I had had the understanding of what the words of the Holy Spirit through Paul's pen really mean, I believe that I could have done more and been happier with all the health difficulties in my family and with all the challenges of the calling to be a teacher of Yeshua in this land of Israel and in the city of Jerusalem.

God is also the main operator in our history. He is the one who cast us out of the land of Israel into the diaspora (exile). He is the one who hid His face from us. He is the one that in the right time will reveal His face to us and restore us back to Himself and back to the land of Israel.

Joseph Never Forgot Where He Came From

The conclusion of the story of Joseph is this:

I never envied those who are wealthy with the wealth of this world. I have envied poor Lazarus because although dependent on the rich man's charity to give him the crumbs off his table, Lazarus inherited eternal life in the bosom of Abraham. Joseph the brother that was hated by his own brothers, rejected and despised, like Yeshua himself, ends by being their savior and redeemer.

The last point is that Joseph, in spite of all his greatness in Egypt, never forgot who he was and where he came from. All the wealth of Egypt didn't blind his eyes from the true mission that he received from God. I bless each and every one who reads this and pray that they will have the strength to be willing to suffer for the Lord if and when necessary, and to flourish and grow in stature and greatness like Joseph, and to always know who you are and where you belong!