In the Bible we find several characters who are types of Jesus Christ. Of the many things that could be recorded about their earthly lives, God points out the principal features that exemplify Jesus so that we learn more about Him. The greatest of these characters is Joseph. He typifies Jesus in more than 150 ways. In this lesson, we will study the first 9 parallels.
| # | Similitude | Joseph’sReference | Jesus’Reference |
| 1 | He was the firstborn of his mother | Gen. 30:22-24 | Matt. 1:25 |
| 2 | He was a shepherd | Gen. 37:2 | Jn. 10:11 |
| 3 | He reported their evil | Gen. 37:2 | Jn. 7:7; Lk. 11:29 |
| 4 | He was beloved | Gen. 37:3 | Matt. 3:17; 17:5 |
| 5 | He had a special coat[1] | Gen. 37:3 | Jn. 19:23 |
| 6 | He was hated | Gen. 37:4,5,8 | Jn. 15:18,24-25 |
| 7 | They rejected his words | Gen. 37:8 | Jn. 12:48 |
| 8 | He’ll reign[2] over Jacob’s children | Gen. 37:8 | Lk. 1:33 |
| 9 | Israel will bow[3] before him | Gen. 37:10 | Is. 45:23-25 |
There are some particularly interesting things to note concerning the coat, the dream about the sheaves and the dream about the sun, moon and stars. They reveal things about the universe and Israel that can only be understood by cross referencing these verses with other similar verses in the Bible.
[1] The coat – The coat that Jesus wore was seamless and woven from the top throughout. It simply had a hole in the top that slipped over his head. The coat that Joseph wore was multi-colored. When Jesus reigns and finally puts down all rule, authority and power (1 Cor. 15:24-26), he will change the universe into a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1), just like changing coats (Heb. 1:10-12).
[2] The dream about the sheaves – In Ps. 126:6, sheaves can represent people. Joseph’s brothers correctly interpreted the dream to be a picture of Joseph reigning over them, which he did in Gen. 44:14.
[3] The dream about the sun, moon and stars – Jacob correctly interpreted the dream as Jacob’s family bowing down to Joseph. The sun represented Jacob, the eleven stars represented the other 11 sons of Jacob and the moon represented Joseph’s mother. Strangely, Jacob’s interpretation included “thy mother” (v.10) who was already dead (Gen. 35:19). Therefore, the reason for this dream and interpretation was not only to prophecy of the family bowing to Joseph but also to provide the cross reference for the woman in Rev. 12:1. The woman in Rev. 12 is Israel!!