I Am Joseph

In the scripture helps for Genesis 37-41, there is a list of ways that Joseph is a type of the Savior. I had never thought about this one: “Joseph’s oldest brother looked for him in an empty pit; Christ’s senior Apostle looked for him in an empty tomb.” Of Joseph’s ten older brothers, Reuben (the oldest) seemed to most opposed to their treatment of Joseph. We read that when the other brothers sought to kill Joseph, “Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.” Then Reuben said, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him.” The writer of Genesis explained that Reuben’s motives were good and he didn’t plan to leave him in the pit, for he did it “that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.” They enacted this plan, and while Joseph was there in the pit the brothers sat down to eat and saw “a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.” At this point Reuben must have stepped away for something, for the other brothers took Joseph out of the pit and sold him to these people going into Egypt. Then “Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?” (Genesis 37:21-30). Peter similarly sought for the Savior, and surely was in anguish when he went at Mary’s word to the tomb and found that Jesus was gone, for he and John “knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” The account tells us that “the disciples went away again unto their own home,” not knowing that the Savior was alive (John 20:9-10). Similarly, Reuben went away to his own house, not knowing that Joseph was actually going to be just fine. Reuben’s phrase “Whither shall I go” also reminds us of something that Peter said. When many had left the Savior because of His discourse on living bread, He said, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Reuben sought Joseph just as Peter sought Jesus.

Another similarity between Joseph and Jesus mentioned in the scripture helps is this: “Joseph revealed himself to his brothers when they came the second time. Jesus Christ will reveal Himself to the world at His Second Coming.” This scene came directly after Judah professed his willingness to sacrifice for his brother Benjamin: “Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt” (Genesis 45:1-4). Similarly, the Savior has promised to appear to Judah and reveal who He is in when He returns again: “And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake…. And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet? Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God. And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:51-53). In a dramatic way Joseph declared to Judah and all his brothers, “I am Joseph” just as Jesus will declare with power to those of Judah, “I am Jesus.” The Jews have thought for two millennia that He was not the Messiah, but at that day they will recognize Him and weep that they persecuted their king. Similarly, for two decades Joseph’s brothers thought they would never see him again and at that day they mourned that they had persecuted their brother.

These two parts of Joseph’s story (and many others) highlight that he is indeed powerful type of the Savior. Surely his story was meant to point all of us to Jesus Christ who will declare to us all one day, “I am Jesus.”