The story of Joseph sold into slavery is an example of how God turns humiliations into triumphs
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The story of Joseph is one of the great “typologies” of the Bible — where a figure or event in ancient Israel points forward to Christ. When that happens, the combination of foreshadowing and fulfillment often provides insight into what life in Christ means for us.
Joseph is sold into slavery by his own brothers. But Joseph can’t go around this suffering; he has to go through it to be brought to the glory God intends for him. So also: Israel has to pass through the Red Sea to get to the promised land; Jesus has to go through His passion to get to His resurrection; the saints and martyrs go through the difficulties of their lives to arrive at the glory of belonging fully to the kingdom of God.
And so it is for us. As Americans, we tend to be shocked, offended and dismayed when something goes as wrong to us as it did to Joseph and Jesus. As Catholics, there’s another option: We might look to their lives and say, “Well, I guess we have to go through this.”
That’s where the typology of Joseph and Jesus challenges us to have greater courage.
But there’s a way that the typology of Joseph and Jesus can comfort us, too. In both cases we see clearly: God has the last word.
When Joseph’s brothers launch their plot to kill him, they say to one another: “We shall then see what becomes of his dreams.” That’s a consciously ironic statement by the author. The brothers meant that his dreams would surely come to an end. But the writer knows and wants us to know: Their actions were, ironically, the very means that brought his dreams to fulfillment!
The same is true of the passion of Jesus. His opponents thought it would be the end of this king. Ironically, killing Him was the very thing that brought about — and even deepened — the victory of His kingdom!
The refrain of Psalm 105 says: “Remember the marvels the Lord has done.” For both Joseph and Jesus, those marvels began with a humiliation. Then, like a trampoline, each bounced back in proportion to the downward force and were exalted.
And so it can be with us. God has the last word in the story of Joseph and in the story of Jesus. But it’s not automatic. A choice is placed before us. We can join our voices to God’s word, or we can live in opposition to that word.
We hear about that choice from a power-packed lineup of prophets this week: Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah. The readings from each of them focus our attention on some element of this spiritual law: We can “bounce” in the direction we choose — with God’s word or against it.
There are many ways to react to the things that are wrong in the world. This week, I encourage us all to look at the typology of Joseph and Jesus. It contains a pattern that challenges us and brings us hope — and we need both.
