ALL SCRIPTURES POINT TO JESUS (PART IX)

“Joseph, Baker, Cupbearer, and the Lord’s Supper”

By Akin Ojumu

In this exciting expedition through Scriptures, we’ve been able to discover up to twenty-two different connections between Joseph and Jesus. Along the way, we find how Joseph’s being one among twelve brothers is similar to Jesus and twelve disciples. We see Joseph, who is Jesus’s biological father namesake, hated by his own brothers because of the love his father had for him the same way Jesus incurred the wrath and hatred of the Jews because He calls YAHWEH His Father.

Likewise, just as Joseph was taken to Egypt in order to effectuate the salvation of his family, Jesus, as a baby, was taken to Egypt for safety in order that God’s redemptive plan would not be prematurely aborted. 

What’s more, Joseph’s brothers conspired to kill him, a parallel to the plot by the Jews to kill Jesus. We also see that Judah, Joseph’s brother, betrayed Joseph by concocting the scheme to sell Joseph to slavery for twenty pieces of silver. This is reminiscent of Judas, a disciple of Jesus, who sold out his Master to the enemy for thirty pieces of silver. 

In addition to this, Joseph’s brothers sold him to slavery in Egypt. This we said is a type and shadow of Jesus taking the form of a bondservant i.e., a slave. Also, as a slave in the House of Potiphar, Joseph attended to the needs of His master’s household and not his own. Similarly, Christ Jesus, as the ultimate example of a bondservant, did everything in the service of God’s Household and not His own. He came to serve and not to be served.

Furthermore, Joseph, as an ordinary slave in Egypt, found favor in the eyes of his master. He was full of wisdom and successful in all he did. Everything Joseph touched blossomed. In comparison, Jesus grew up full of wisdom and stature. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 

And lastly, we see that in his weakest and vulnerable moment, Joseph resisted temptation just as Jesus resisted temptation in His weakest and vulnerable moment when he was hungry having fasted for forty days and forty nights.

These are just a few of the parallels we’ve discovered so far. And it’s from this point we’ll resume the treasure hunt, hoping to find some more connections to add to the list.

Connection 23

Just as Joseph was slandered and falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife resulting in his incarceration, Jesus also experienced slander and false accusations by His enemies which led to his arrest and incarceration.

Genesis 39:16-18

“Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.””

Matthew 26:59-61

“Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’”

Connection 24

The imprisonment of Pharaoh’s Chief Baker and Chief Cupbearer together with Joseph is rich with symbolism. While the parallel between this event and Jesus may not be immediately obvious, you’ll find it’s quite fascinating when you closely examine the story. We’ll take one of them today.

While Pharaoh’s Chief Baker is symbolic of the Bread, i.e., the Body of Christ, broken for us, Pharaoh’s Cupbearer is a type and shadow of the Wine, i.e., the Blood of Christ, shed on our behalf.

Present in the prison with Joseph in Egypt is the Bread and Wine of the Passover. Here, in this story of the Chief Baker and Chief Cupbearer, we see a type and shadow of Lord’s Supper aka Holy Communion, which symbolizes Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the new covenant He initiated. 

The Body and Blood of Christ were with Joseph in the prison. This beautiful imagery of the redemption and salvation that Christ would bring is right there in prison with Joseph. I don’t know about you, but I find this illumination profoundly compelling and enthralling.

Genesis 40:1-3

“Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.”

Mark 14:22-25

“And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

We’ll take it from here next time.