“Five Favorite Old Testament Stories:
Joseph’s Coat”
Genesis 37

Click for Audio

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost—August 15, 2021

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

During August we are having a series of sermons on “Five Favorite Old Testament Stories,” stories which are very familiar to us, but maybe you don’t know what they really mean, for you and your faith.  We began “In the beginning . . .” with the story of Creation; last week we considered the story of “Noah’s Ark”; this morning we continue in the book of Genesis with the story of “Joseph’s Coat.”

St. Paul says in Romans, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” The story of Joseph’s coat and the events which followed teach us many important, practical life lessons. 

Parents should not show favoritism among their children, as Jacob did toward Joseph.  We see in this story how devastating such favoritism can be for families.  The ultimate example for good parenting is “Our Father who art in heaven,” and as St. Peter says in Acts, “God does not show favoritism.”  A practical life lesson from the story of Joseph’s coat is that in your family, among your children, do not follow the example of Jacob in his family, but instead the example of “Our Father who art in heaven,” and do not show favoritism.

We should forgive our grievances against one another, especially family members, and not bear a grudge.  As the brothers asked later in Egypt, “What if Joseph holds a grudge?”  But, Joseph did not hold a grudge; instead he forgave his brothers and was kindly to them.  St. Paul puts it this way in Colossians: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”  A practical life lesson from the story of Joseph’s coat is to forgive our grievances against one another, especially family members.

God works all things together for the good.  In a surprising turn of events, Joseph becomes master of all Egypt and eventually saves his brothers and their families from famine and is joyfully reunited with his father.  As Joseph says to his brothers, “You meant it for evil against me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

St. Paul promises in Romans, “And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him.” Joseph was especially blessed, to be able to see and understand how these bad things were eventually used by God for the good.  But, most of the time in this life, we do not see or understand, like Joseph did, exactly how even bad things that happen in our lives is God working all things together for the good.  In those case, as St. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”  So, a practical life lesson from the story of Joseph’s coat is to trust that, just has he did in Joseph’s life, in the same way in your life God is working all things together for the good—even if you aren’t blessed to see it, like Joseph did.

These are all important, practical life lessons from the story of Joseph’s coat, and that is one reason for studying these Scriptures: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”  But, in addition to these practical life lessons, there is another, even greater reason to study these Scriptures. 

Jesus said, “You diligently study the Scriptures . . .  These are the Scriptures that testify about me . . .  for Moses wrote about me.”  The Gospel of Luke says, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”  Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and Genesis is traditionally called “The First Book of Moses.” So, Jesus himself says we should diligently study these Scriptures because Moses wrote about HIM, there are testimonies about Jesus in the writings of Moses and all the prophets, such as the story of Joseph’s coat.

The story of Joseph is a real, historical event.  There are many details of this story that are supported by what we know from history and archaeology.  This is not just an ancient fable or a fanciful children’s story; these things really did happen.  But, these events also have a symbolic meaning pointing forward to our Savior, as he says, “These are the Scriptures that testify about me.”

God often uses events and individuals symbolically in this way.  Joseph is a prototype of Jesus himself, pointing forward to Jesus and what would happen to him in his ministry here on earth.

At Jesus’ Baptism the heavens were opened and a voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son.”  All of us are children of God in the sense that he created us.  But, just as Joseph was the favorite son of his father Jacob, Jesus is the unique, eternal, divine Son of God the Father: “This is my beloved Son.”

St. John says at the beginning of his Gospel: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”  Joseph’s brothers represent first of all Jesus’ own Hebrew people, and also all of humanity. The hatred and rejection and evil treatment of Joseph by his brothers represents first of all the hatred and rejection and evil treatment of Jesus by those who crucified him.  But, it also represents us, and our sin.  As a Lenten hymn says, “Who is it Lord, that bruised you?  Who has so sore abused you and caused you all this woe?  We all must make confession of sin and dark transgression. . .  I caused your grief and sighing . . .  ‘Tis I who should be smitten.”

Joseph being cast down into the pit has an interesting archaeological parallel. Excavations at Jerusalem have uncovered what we believe to be the high priest’s palace where Jesus was taken after he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the basement, or really it was the dungeon, is an ancient prison cell. If it actually is the high priest’s palace from that era, as many archaeologists think, it could be Jesus was held in that very prison cell while awaiting trial. But, it’s not at all like what we envision when we think of a prison cell. Because iron bars would have been very costly, the cell is simply a deep hole cut into the rock, into which the prisoner would be lowered by ropes and then the ropes pulled up so he could not escape. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? For, that is exactly what happened to Joseph many centuries before.

After his crucifixion, Matthew reports, “Joseph of Arimathea, took Jesus’ body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.” The original Joseph in the Old Testament being cast down into a pit in the ground also symbolizes Jesus’ body being placed into a tomb cut into the rock by a later Joseph in the New Testament.

Psalm 27 prophesied, “False witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.” When Joseph got to Egypt the false accusation against him for which he was thrown into prison is symbolic of the false accusations against our Lord.  As the Gospel of Matthew says, “The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.  But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.”

Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Joseph being sold into slavery symbolizes Jesus humbling himself and serving you by giving up his life for your salvation.  As St. Paul says in Philippians, “[He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

St. Peter writes, “[He] has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” The rise of Joseph from depths of slavery and prison to Pharaoh’s right hand as prime minister and ruler of Egypt symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead and ascension to his heavenly throne as ruler of the universe.  As St. Paul continues in Philippians, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  And Hebrews says, “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

St. Paul says in Galatians, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Finally Joseph’s coat, the glorious robe given to him by his father, not because he earned it or deserved it, but out of love. Joseph’s coat symbolizes YOU being clothed by your heavenly Father in the glorious robe of Christ’s righteousness and holiness, which covers over all your sins. 

You see heaven has a very strict dress code.  Everything has to be perfect, a dress code you could never meet.  But, just as Joseph’s father out of love for him clothed him in a glorious robe, out of love for you your heavenly gives you the gift of the most glorious, perfect spiritual robe, which makes you worthy to enter heaven, the spiritual robe of the righteousness and holiness of his own Son.  As Revelation says of you and all the faithful in heaven, “These are they who . . . have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. . . these are the Scriptures that testify about me.”  The story of Joseph’s coat and the events which followed teach us many important, practical life lessons.  And these events also have a symbolic meaning pointing forward to your Savior and your salvation.