By Rev. Francis J. Peffley
What's in a name? Do people with the same name sometimes have much in
common? We can look at two famous men in the Bible, both named Joseph, and see their
similarities.
Joseph of the Old Testament is the first Joseph. The Church refers to him as a type, or
foreshadowing, of Christ. But many saints hold that the first Joseph is also a
prefigurement for St. Joseph. Let us consider ten parallels between Joseph of the Old
Testament and St. Joseph.
First, both of them had a father named Jacob
. Remember the biblical references to
the great patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Jacob's son was Joseph. Matthew's
gospel, which traces the family tree of Jesus, says that Jacob was the father of Joseph,
the husband of Mary of whom Christ was born.
The second parallel is that both of them were royalty
. The first Joseph was a
patriarch, following the great line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was the last and
perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament patriarchs. St. Joseph also was royalty since
he was a descendant of King David. Some Scripture scholars speculate that if Rome had
not occupied Palestine at the time, and if the Davidic line was still intact, St. Joseph would
have been eligible for the throne.
The third parallel between the first Joseph and St. Joseph is that both of them
suffered and put up with the difficulties of their daily life without complaint
. The first
Joseph was minding his own business going out into the fields to see his brothers, and
they plotted to kill him. They seized him, stripped him and threw him into a well. Then,
when they saw a caravan of gypsies going to Egypt, they sold him into slavery. Joseph
could have said, "Lord, here I am; a good man. Why are you allowing this suffering in my
life?" Isn't that what we say at times? When we have difficult times in our life, we often ask
"God, why me? What have I done wrong?" But, sometimes God allows us to go through
suffering and pain for a greater good, just as he did with Joseph in Egypt. Because
Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, Pharaoh made him lord and ruler over his
house. Joseph, formerly a shepherd boy, was now one of the most important men in
Egypt.
St. Joseph had to go through many sufferings as well. Mary was well along in her
pregnancy when, as members of the House of David, they had to journey to Bethlehem to
take part in the census ordered by the Roman rulers. That involved a difficult journey of
perhaps 85 miles on a donkey with no advance lodging reservations. But Joseph obeyed
the law. He went and could find no lodging since Bethlehem was packed with other
visitors who came for the same purpose. He kept knocking at the doors, but found no
room. Think what was going through Joseph's mind. He was the husband, the provider,
and knew that Mary's child was of divine origin. Finally, they found a cave in the
countryside where the shepherds tended their sheep, and Jesus was born in a place
where animals were sheltered. The King of heaven and earth was laid in a manger - a
trough where the animals ate. Think of the suffering, the difficult time that Joseph went
through. But, looking at it, good came from even that trying experience. For example, the
prophecy that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem was fulfilled. It was not the
prophecy that the Messiah was to be born in Nazareth. Additionally, the Holy Family had
more privacy in the cave than they would have had in the crowded inn. A secondary
benefit is that now we can sing songs like "Away in a Manger" rather than "Away in a
Marriott."
The fourth similarity between Joseph and St. Joseph is that both left their homes
and went to Egypt.
Joseph was sold into slavery and taken to Egypt. St. Joseph fled to
Egypt with his family to escape Herod's wrath.
The ability to understand dreams is their fifth similarity
. In the Old Testament,
Joseph gained fame for this ability. While still in prison, he was able to interpret the
dreams of the baker and the cupbearer of Pharaoh. When Pharaoh had a strange dream
of 7 fat cows being devoured by 7 skinny cows, he couldn't understand it. Pharaoh also
had the dream of the stalk, which had seven healthy ears of corn. Suddenly there was a
stalk with 7 withered ears of corn, which swallowed the healthy stalk. Pharaoh couldn't
understand these dreams, so he called his magicians but they could not interpret the
dreams. Pharaoh had heard of Joseph's ability, so he sent for him and asked him to
interpret these dreams. Joseph gave Pharaoh the interpretation - that God was going to
bless Egypt with 7 years of plenty, but after that would come 7 years of terrible famine.
Because of this insight into the future, Pharaoh picked Joseph to be the manager of his
house and ruler over all his possessions.
St. Joseph also understood the meaning of his dreams. The New Testament relates
four dreams, which St. Joseph understood and unhesitatingly acted upon. The first was
when he had doubts about whether to take Mary as his wife. The angel said "Fear not,
Joseph, to accept Mary as your wife. It is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this
Child." Joseph recognized the guidance in the dream as coming from God and followed
the angel's bidding. Likewise, he recognized the urgency of the message conveyed in the
second dream - "flee into Egypt. Herod is trying to kill the Child." In the third dream,
Joseph understood that it was safe to return to Palestine since Herod was dead. Lastly, in
the fourth dream, Joseph accepted the angel's advice to return to Nazareth because
Herod's son had become king. St. Joseph's ability to recognize the divine guidance sent to
him in dreams literally saved the Holy Family on several occasions.
The sixth parallel is that of being the ruler of the king's house and possessions.
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, made Joseph ruler and lord over all his possessions in Egypt.
St. Joseph, as head of the Holy Family, was ruler over the King of the Universe's home in
Nazareth. Jesus, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, chose
Joseph to be the head of the Holy Family, to be the lord, master and ruler over the house.
The seventh similarity between the Joseph of the Old and Joseph of the New
Testament is their purity and chastity
. Remember what happened to Joseph. Joseph
was a very strong man, a very handsome man, and Potiphar's wife fell in love with him
and tried to seduce him. Day after day she would ask him and try to lead him into having
an adulterous affair, but Joseph steadfastly refused. Eventually, she lied and told Potiphar,
"Look what this Hebrew tried to do to me." Potiphar put Joseph into prison, where he
stayed for two years. In the New Testament, St. Joseph is the virginal husband of Mary.
St. Joseph, the most pure and chaste man that God ever created, married the Blessed
Mother. They lived a virginal life their entire marriage. The beautiful virtues of purity and
chastity are thus exemplified in both Joseph of the Old and St. Joseph of the New.
The eighth parallel is that they both experienced poverty
. Joseph of the Old
Testament had everything material taken from him - his brothers stole his inheritance, he
was sold into slavery and owned nothing, and he was unjustly imprisoned for a few years.
St. Joseph knew poverty as well. We are told in the gospels that he was a carpenter, a
member of the working class. When he uprooted his family and went to Bethlehem and
then to Egypt, he probably took his tools with him so he could continue earning a living,
but that is about all he had in terms of material goods. We also know that the Holy Family
was poor because at the Presentation they gave two turtle doves, the offering of the poor.
Both Josephs were responsible for feeding the entire world, which is their ninth
similarity.
Because of Joseph's advice, Egypt was the only country in the world that had
grain during the famine. The other nations came to Egypt to buy their grain. Thanks to
Joseph, the peoples of the world had food, and Pharaoh became even richer and more
powerful. How does that relate to St. Joseph? St. Joseph was the nurturer and the one
who fed Jesus. He practiced his trade and earned the money to buy the food, which fed
Jesus. St. Joseph, as head of the Holy Family, taught Jesus a trade and provided his
initial religious instruction. He helped Jesus grow to manhood and become for us the
Eucharist, feeding us with his own Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Thus, indirectly Joseph
has fed the entire world with the Bread of Life.
Lastly, we can go to both Josephs in times of need
. The people of Egypt and the
other nations went to Joseph for the grain they needed during the great famine. During
this time of suffering there was a saying, "Go to Joseph for what you need." Because
Joseph had such tremendous influence with the Pharaoh, many peoples' petitions were
answered. We priests, religious and lay people can go to St. Joseph in our time of need.
Whatever difficulties and sufferings we have, we go to Joseph because he has great
influence with his Son, the King of the Universe. Jesus, good Son that he is, still follows
the precepts of the Fourth Commandment and, so long as it is in accord with the will of the
Father, does as his mother and foster father ask.
These, then, are ten similarities between Joseph of the Old Testament and St. Joseph,
two of the greatest figures in the Bible. Let us now recognize how they have experienced
many of the same trials and sorrows we face, and let us follow their example of steadfast
love and service of God. They stand ready and able to help us, if we but "go to Joseph."
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