In early Christian Syriac literature there are 56 comparisons of Joseph's life with Christ's. They are incredibly explicit and clearly developed and formulated by historians determined to show Joseph as a Type of Christ. Throughout centuries, Christians have mainly hailed Joseph for his sexual purity turning him into an icon of strength and example to us all. There are many more lessons, however, that we can learn from his life but even more so from his character which makes him a perfect prototype of the Saviour. Besides his impeccable self control, what I admire most about Joseph is his regard for his fellowman , no doubt born out of Christ like compassion that was central to his character. Out of this compassion was born his willingness to serve his fellowman and his willingness to forgive. Both of these traits are essential for us to develop in order to be saved in the kingdom of God.
Careful reading of Joseph's servitude in Egypt makes us come to the conclusion that Joseph did not rise to authority by deviousness or self serving tactics but by being mindful of his fellowman which endeared people to him. I imagine it was not only the fact that the Lord was with him but also his disposition to care about people that made people trust him. For this reason Potiphar was willing to put all his affairs into his hands (Gen 39:4); the keeper of the prison was willing to put all prisoners into his charge (Gen 39:22); and Pharoah was able to commit all of Egypt into his administration (Gen 41:41). Even though Pharoah gave credit to God for making Joseph wise enough to interpret his dreams, he surely would have known of Joseph's character and reputation which would have come before him, otherwise he would not have trusted that Joseph's interpretation of his dreams came from God.
I am certain that Joseph's attitude was to be the best of whatever he had to be in whatever circumstances. When he was a slave in Potiphar's house he must have made up his mind to be the best slave he could possibly be. For this reason he came to the attention of the master of the house and for this reason God made him prosper. The same was probably true when he was flung into prison. I imagine when he found himself there, he determined that he was going to be the best prisoner he could possibly be and do whatever he could to alleviate the suffering of his fellow prisoners, to help others bear their burdens, 'to succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees' (D&C 81:5).
When Joseph was in charge of the prisoners, one day he noticed that the butler and the baker were sad (Gen 40:5,6). Think about this. They are in prison. Should they be leaping about being merry instead? Obviously Joseph being in charge, had tried his best to make the conditions as pleasant as they could possibly be for the inmates, to maximise their peace and joy as much as he could, under difficult conditions, so of course it matters to him that two of those inmates are sad. He obviously cares about their well being. And this attitude of caring works for his highest good as the butler and the baker confide in him and reveal their dreams to him. And dreams of course, are Joseph's specialty. Do you think if Joseph was a tyrant prison keeper, looking out only for himself, he would have secured for himself a release from prison through the butler of the king of Egypt? Instead of being a tyrant, Joseph was a loving man of God who inquired of his inmates: "Wherefore look ye so sadly today?" (Gen 40:7,8) This one question speaks volumes about Joseph. This one question was also his path to freedom.
Just as Joseph sought to rescue the physically captive from their emotional burdens, Jesus came to rescue the spiritually captive who languished in prisons of sin and pain, "...to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound..." (D&C 138:42). The scriptures are replete with accounts of Christ's compassion towards those he served, healed and even raised from the dead. The man who proclaimed himself to be 'the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25) wept when brought to Lazarus' tomb, not because he sorrowed that Lazarus had died as witnesses supposed but because he had compassion for those whose hearts were breaking. He knew where Lazarus was, and was he not in a far better place than here? It was out of his compassion for his broken-hearted sisters that he brought Lazarus back to life. For was he not 'a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief'? (Isa 53:3)
"Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
"And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise." (Luke 7:11-14)
Jesus' compassion was not only for this widows's tears but for the hardships she would live with on daily basis had she been left without a son to take care of her. In the day and age where women were totally dependent on men and where a woman without a husband looked towards her son to care for her, this widow whose son had been taken away from her too was facing a very bleak future. The Saviour knew and he acted and he saved.
"But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
"And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
"And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth". (Luke 8:49-56)
Twice, before he raised Jairus' daughter, the Saviour addressed the parents first for he had concern for them and their sorrow. The daughter was raised from the dead and Jesus was able to bind the broken-hearted.
Joseph's love for his family activated his ability to forgive his brothers for selling him into a strange land to endure years of hardship and servitude. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha which comprises the ancient Jewish and Jewish-Christian documents, tells that Joseph had such high regard for his brothers despite what they had done, that he repeatedly affirmed to the Ishmaelites that he indeed was a slave because he didn't want to bring disgrace upon them:
"For my brothers know how much my father loved me, yet I was not puffed up in my thoughts. Even while I was a child I had the fear of God in my heart, for I understood that all things pass away. I did not arouse myself with evil design, but honoured my brothers, and out of regard for them even when they sold me I was silent rather than tell the Ishmaelites that I was the son of Jacob, a great and righteous man.
As I was going with the Ishmaelites, they kept asking me, "Are you a slave?" and I replied, "I am a slave out of a household", so as not to disgrace my brothers. The greatest of them said to me, "You are not a slave, even your appearance discloses that." (James H. Charlesworth, Ed., The Old Testament Pseudephigrapha, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, p. 822)
We should be able to relate to Joseph who was taken away from his family that he loved. Would he not want to be reunited with them? Would he let his lack of forgiveness stand in the way of that reunion? Joseph wept and embraced his brothers and he forgave to the point that he tried to convince them that it was not their fault, but that the Lord brought him to Egypt to save them all (Gen. 45:5).
Jesus, like Joseph is the 'birthright' son, the first born of the Father, the rightful heir of all that the Father has but Celestial Kingdom can be a lonely place without the ones you love, and He has loved us and wanted us there with him. Just as Joseph's love for his family activated his ability to forgive his brothers, Jesus' love for us activates his ability to forgive us of our sins. We too have been 'taken'. This telestial life is our Egypt and our slavery.
"In a sense we are all captive 'in Egypt". Because of the idolatry of Egypt and because it was the place of Israel's captivity, the prophets of old used the land of Egypt as a symbol for the telestial world in which we now live. The entire world today is a spiritual Egypt, 'the land of our affliction', in captivity to the 'god of this world' (2 Cor 4:4) who is Satan. The Apostle John spoke of this world as 'spiritual Egypt' because here the Lord was crucified (Rev 11:8)."
The spiritual Egypt we are in has only one Saviour. Jesus, like Joseph of old, offers forgiveness and the bread of life from which we never need to experience a famine. When Joseph sent for his father and the rest of the family to join him in Egypt, the Lord told Israel that he need not fear to go to Egypt 'for I will there make of thee a great nation; I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again" (Gen 46:2-4). The Saviour descended 'into Egypt' to bring us up again if we are faithful. We miss the mark if we don't recognise the prototypes when we study the scriptures, who can turn our hearts to Him who can quench our thirst with living water and appease our hunger with the bread of life. Joseph is one such prototype of the Saviour and his power to save. We too can be prototypes to our children and their children as we walk in the footsteps of Him who knows the way out of 'Egypt' and into eternal life.
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