Turning Evil into Good || Joseph vs. Jesus #8 (FINALE)

As we progress throughout the book of Genesis, it’s time to look at the long and comprehensive story of Joseph. While studying the material, I found a list of parallels between him and Jesus. I’ve learned that much Old Testament literature and storytelling often repeats itself, so does Joseph’s story truly prepare us for the story of Jesus. I have chosen eight parallels they both went through, which we might be going through, to see how they wrestled with them and what we can learn from their responses.

There are more parallels to discuss that focus on the Messiah and leadership-like stories. If you want to hear that side of their stories, let me know, and Part 2 of this series will return. Enjoy the latest series I’m calling “Joseph vs. Jesus.”

The eighth and final parallel is that they both had the hurt people did to them used for good by God.

Genesis 50:20

20           You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

God brought good from the brothers’ evil deed, Potiphar’s wife’s false accusations, the cup-bearer’s neglect, and seven years of famine. The experiences in Joseph’s life taught him that God brings good from evil to those who trust in him.

This verse hit me so hard when I read it. It’s now the verse for the year to go along with the word “confidence.” To have the confidence to grow, mature, and progress through life despite the hardships I’ve caused myself and others have caused me. Despite all my energy attempting to be, I know I’m not perfect, but God has taught me through my mistakes that I am only made perfect through his eyes. There’s no work I can do to ever reach that status other than a continuous progression to be Christ-like. There’s the struggle of walking through evil that no one enjoys. There’s the hardship of staying positive when evil continuously pushes its negative agenda. In these moments, it’s hard to remain hopeful. However, the victory of the hardship has already happened through God. If we lean on his power and trust in his plan to see the victory through, we can and will be able to make it to the other side. We might not recognize how this will happen until we get to the other side, but God was there the whole time. Trust that God will walk you out of this battle. He did it for Joseph, and he can do it for you.

There was a voice of reason before all of Joseph’s suffering began.

Genesis 37:26-27

26           Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.

27           Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother – our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.

The brothers were concerned about holding the weight of the guilt if Joseph died. Especially if they considered the rule God set before Abraham’s lineage began.

Genesis 9:5-6

5             “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die.

6             If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.”

I’m sure this had to be rolling in their minds as they plotted what evil they could do to Joseph. It’s also interesting that Judah is the one who saved Joseph from death because Jesus would later come from this family line. The care of human life that Jesus has for his neighbors is shown here in Judah, but Judah’s human side still allowed them to commit the evil solution.

Sometimes, we want to jump on that because it’s the lesser of two evils. The solution might not be correct or morally sound, but it may cause the least damage. Often, that’s our mindset when solving challenging problems: “What answer can cause us less damage?” It may not necessarily fix our problem, or at least fix it quickly, but it gets it off our minds. It’s one less thing we have to worry about. It’s the “do it and ask for forgiveness” later philosophy. Our society wants us to avoid taking our time with things often because we live in an ever-producing, constantly-results, immediate culture. We want things immediately, and the world will explode if we don’t get them. God’s timing doesn’t work like that. God says and does things when they need to be said or done, and our responsibility is to obey. We can wait on the things that God tells us to wait on. It may not feel right to you because of what the world has taught, but the world isn’t who you follow. It’s God, and we are to bring the kingdom of heaven down to earth. It’s a part of being a citizen in Jesus’ upside-down kingdom!

1 Corinthians 2:7-8

7             No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God – his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.

8             But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.

“The mystery of God…that was previously hidden” refers to God’s path to salvation for everyone. Initially unknown to the world, it became clear when Jesus was resurrected. This proved his power over sin and death and that he could offer us this power through the Holy Spirit. God’s plan remains hidden from unbelievers because they either refuse to accept the plan, choose to ignore the plan, or haven’t heard of the plan. This may feel off to you, but think about it this way. When you tell someone about a project you’re working on, if they don’t seem interested in it, don’t really care what you have to say, or don’t believe in you to accomplish it, will you continue talking to them about it? Probably not. God’s doing that here. You can’t understand God’s plan until you believe in him and receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was misunderstood and rejected by those the world considered wise and great, so why would God trust his plan to people when even the smartest in the world don’t believe? God’s going to share it with those who are interested, who want to accept the plan, and who want to hear about it.

Jesus was put to death by the rulers in Palestine during his time on earth – the high priest, King Herod, Pilate, and the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Isaiah 53:3 and Zechariah 12:10-11

Isaiah 53:3        He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with the deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised and we did not care.

Zechariah 12:10            “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.

Zechariah 12:11            The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.

Jesus went through life despised and rejected by those he was called to save. He carries our sorrows for us. He held on to the griefs we had, including his own in the garden. Jesus did all this, and we were the evil ones. We turned away from him. We didn’t care what would happen to him. He gave us the “fix” we needed, and we were happy. The man who saved us from the sinner’s death and eternal punishment is the one that the crowd rejects. They’d save the murderer instead of the one who saved them. Imagine all of that happening and still good coming out of it. That’s the power of God there.

Romans 16:25-27

25           Now all the glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time.

26           But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.

27           All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.

Paul shares his excitement at being alive for God’s secret plan – his way of saving the Gentiles- was becoming worldwide. All the Old Testament prophecies about said plan are coming true, and God used Paul as the instrument to share it with everyone. Rome, where Paul was, was the world’s political, religious, social, and economic center. There, the primary governmental decisions were made, and the Gospel spread to all corners of the world. The church in Rome was a mixture of Jews, Gentiles, enslaved people, free people, men, women, Roman citizens, and world travelers; therefore, it had the potential for both significant influence and massive conflict.

We live in a world that’s more complex and diverse than ever, with the entire globe essentially being open to us. This world also has the capability for more influence and conflict, especially with the ever-increasing rise of social media. Our world focus should be unity, service, and love. We should unite, serve our neighbors, and love as Jesus did. That’s how we can take the evil of this world and turn it for good.

I hope you enjoyed this eight-part series on the parallels between Joseph’s and Jesus’s lives. This was unique, but I have learned so much more about them than before. Our next series starts Friday and we’ll discuss four different beliefs once we confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. I still need a working title, but the Spirit will guide me. Until next time, stay blessed!