Recognition

Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. – Genesis 42:8 (NET)

Delving into the life of Joseph will almost invariably produce a comparative analogy to the life of Jesus, and with what is transpiring in association with this particular verse, the statement proves to be true. Let us never forget that the way Israel thought about itself, the way the disciples would have heard and understood the words and ministry of Jesus, and even the way in which Jesus thought of and presented Himself to Israel, would all have been couched in the regularly told history of Israel, as grounded in the Abrahamic covenant and in the history of the Egyptian exodus. Not only was every Passover an explicit reminder of their exodus experience and that their God was the God of exodus, but the long subjugation to various empires, the latest of which was Rome, was productive of a general mindset of a people in an exile from the full manifestation of their God’s promises to them, and of the longing for a new exodus.

Owing to that the groaning desire of freedom from Rome’s yoke, we can be assured that thoughts of God’s miraculous deliverance of His people from the power of Egypt would never have been too far from their minds. Quite naturally, the story of Joseph, which was so closely connected to the story of Israel’s arrival in Egypt (which was itself part of God’s confirmation of His promise to Abraham), and which was a story of vindication and exaltation after an ordeal of wrongful suffering, would have been a popular story in Israel. Because it offers a tight analogy to that which was experienced by Jesus (suffering, vindication, exaltation), stories of Joseph, following the Resurrection of Jesus, would have been fertile ground for gaining even greater understanding of Jesus, of the covenant God that raised Him from the dead, and of the redeeming, rescuing movement of that same God throughout all of history---with comprehension of that work, enacted primarily through His covenant people, given shape by the Abrahamic covenant and its associated pointers and promises.

Now, some misguided souls might be tempted to look at these analogies from a resurrection-denying perspective and draw the conclusion that followers of Jesus, following His death and seeking to keep alive the cult that had grown around Him, simply searched the Scriptures so as to pull together bits and pieces by which to build a better foundation for their ongoing worship and subsequent proclamation of Him as God. However, reading the Hebrew Scriptures in the light of God’s redemptive plan that was commenced through Abraham, carried on through Israel, climaxed in Jesus, and out-worked through the Church of Christ, becomes an exercise in learning about the Creator God and His purposes, so that we might gain a greater measure of trust through the out-spiring work of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to identify the places that connect us to the culminating event of all of history, which was the Christ-event. This operation is undertaken so that we might be able to more effectively operate by the power of the Resurrection and be the means by which God applies its transformative power, by the Spirit, through the Gospel proclamation of Jesus as Lord.

So when we read something like “Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him,” we are swiftly transported to the twenty-fourth chapter of Luke, where we meet two people identified as disciples of Jesus (as there were many more than just twelve) that are traveling, from Jerusalem, on the road to Emmaus. These disciples “were talking to each other about all the things that had happened” (24:14), which was the crucifixion of Jesus, along with the report of His tomb being empty. “While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus Himself approached and began to accompany them (but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him)” (24:16). Like Joseph, Jesus would have recognized these individuals as two of His disciples, though they did not recognize Him. In Genesis, Joseph goes on to accuse the men of being spies. In Luke, Jesus says, “You foolish people---how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (24:25)

Joseph’s brothers, taken aback at the accusation, declare their innocence of this charge, saying “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive” (42:13). We can imagine the response of these disciples of Jesus to His words, not knowing Who it was that spoke to them. They would have protested in much the same way as Joseph’s brothers, thinking and saying something like “No, we followed Him because we did believe the prophets! In fact, we just came from Jerusalem, where we were with our brethren, His chosen disciples. He had twelve of them. One of them, however, is no longer alive.” Later on, Joseph would reveal himself to his brothers at a shared feast that he prepared for them, just as Jesus would reveal Himself to these two disciples, opening their eyes to see Him, when “He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them” (24:30b). Joseph’s brothers would quickly return to their homeland to inform Jacob that Joseph was still alive---a veritable resurrection! The Emmaus road disciples could hardly contain their own excitement, as Luke’s Gospel tells us that their first inclination was to go and speak of the risen Lord (24:34), returning to Jerusalem to recount these things to His gathered disciples.

Reading the Hebrew Scriptures in the light of the Resurrection of the Righteous One, just as Israel read their Scriptures in the light of their expectation of God’s historical intervention on their behalf which would bring about the resurrection of the righteous dead, is the means by which the Scriptures, both “Old” and “New,” gain the fullness of their meaning. By this, we gain a fuller recognition of Jesus. Apart from this, it may be well nigh impossible to recognize Him.