Joseph a Picture of Jesus: Rejected by his Brothers

Genesis 37:4-8; John 7:2-5

It is not uncommon for one sibling to come across as though they think they are better than the others. That kind of attitude is seldom received well by the other siblings. Other times a person gets accused of thinking they are better simply because they have been more successful or maybe stayed out of trouble with the law when the others have not. As we will see today, both Joseph and Jesus had to deal with brothers who were jealous and hateful towards them.

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But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Genesis 37:4-8

Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

John 7:2-5

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Joseph had a dream, actually two, in which he dreamed that his brothers would one day bow to him. He made the mistake of sharing this dream with his brothers and father, which did not go over well. The brothers interpreted this as arrogance on his part. This was partially due to the fact that he was undeniably the favorite child of their father. Genesis 37:8 tells us that “they hated him even more”.

In John 7, we see an interaction between Jesus and His brothers. A little background, Jesus has begun His public ministry at this point. He is famous, and people are starting to ask if He is the Messiah of Israel. His brothers know of His fame and resent Jesus because of it. In this passage, they essentially say, “You wanted to be famous. You put yourself in the spotlight. Don’t try to hide now. Go ahead and walk publicly to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles”. They were telling Him to tempt God and risk His life and safety in a public act of defiance against those who were trying to kill Him.

As we see in both of these stories, both Joseph and Jesus were hated by their brothers. In neither case did either do anything wrong. That was actually the problem. Joseph is one of two men in the Old Testament in which there is significant narrative written for whom the Bible never lists a sin. The other is Daniel. This is not to say that Joseph was sinless. The Holy Spirit, in providing Joseph as a picture of Jesus, simply chose to not include any of his faults in scripture.

Living a Godly life will result in some people hating us. Paul told Timothy, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12). John told his readers “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you” (I John 3:13). Just like Joseph and Jesus, during these times we must make wise decisions, keep loving, and keep living for God. Neither situation was fun, but in the end both worked out for good. Joseph saved his brothers lives, and Jesus saved His brothers from their sins. Joseph’s brothers did indeed bow to him, and Jesus’s brothers bowed to Him as Lord. If we suffer, we do so with the prayer that those who hate us will one day bow to Jesus as Lord also.

Father, we thank You that all things work together for good for those that love You. Help us to patiently endure our trials so that You are glorified and so that they see Jesus in us. May that be our hearts desire above comfort and our own wishes in this life.