But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than any mortal. Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words?
For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword. – Job 33:12-18
God is always speaking, now one way, now another, though no one perceives it. This is a difficult truth, and contributes to the endless mysteries of God. And yet, Christ calls us to be like him. How can we do that if we don’t understand who he is, the life he lived, or even hear him speak? The image above is my artistic interpretation of when Belshazzar saw a hand from God write a warning to him, and he had no idea who it was from or what it said, until Daniel interpreted it. How can you know if God has sent a hand to write a message to you, if you cannot perceive him?
This post is an effort to show one way we can better understand and perceive Jesus: through his unseating of Joseph as the King of Dreams. Joseph, the son of Jacob, lived an incredibly relatable and human life filled with family issues, favoritism, sexual harassment, imprisonment, false-accusations, hard work, sadness, and vindication. Joseph is often considered the King of Dreams because of two dreams he had, and four interpretations of others’ dreams. The reality is that Joseph was never the King of Dreams, and he could not interpret anything at all:
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” – Genesis 41:15-16
There is a King of Dreams, and he lives today and speaks to us in our own dreams. Joseph and Jesus’ lives are connected so closely, that if we ever have questions about specific areas of Jesus’ life, we simply have to look at what Joseph experienced in order to see a highly practical, human side. This is the side that we can follow Jesus in.
Let’s walk through three difficult questions about the nature of Jesus by following Joseph’s life, so that we can understand him better, and perceive him more:
- How did Jesus become a human being?
- Why didn’t the disciples recognize Jesus after his resurrection?
- Why does God allow bad things to happen to people?
I hope that after this, we can better perceive Jesus speaking to us, whether it be through dreams, prayer, our neighbors, or any other method that’s normally gone unnoticed.
How did Jesus become a human being?
Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. – Philippians 2:6-7
In the New Testament, we’re told that Jesus emptied himself of the glory he once had while in the presence of God the Father, and became a servant.
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. – John 17:5
What does this look like for us? What does this mean in a human sense? Joseph experienced something similar early in his life:
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. – Genesis 37:3
Imagine that the robe is the glory of God. Jacob, Joseph’s father, wraps him in a beautiful robe which symbolizes his place in the family, and Jacob’s great love for Joseph. But God’s purpose for Joseph was not to rule over his brothers as shepherds. Neither was God’s purpose for Jesus to keep his heavenly glory forever. Both Joseph and Jesus had to shed this glory and become servants.
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—and they took him and threw him into the cistern. – Genesis 37:23-24
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45
The real difference here is that Joseph did not know how God would fulfill the dreams he had, but Jesus knew exactly what the will of his father was, and entered into it willingly. What blessings and glory has God or people around you given you? What ornate robe have you been wrapped in? Is Jesus asking you to give this up to become a servant to those around you?
Why didn’t the disciples recognize Jesus after his resurrection?
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. – Luke 24:13-16
After Jesus’ resurrection, he was frequently appearing to people, but nobody could recognize him at first. This passage is from the Road to Emmaus, and there are more involving Mary Magdalene, and the disciples before Jesus ascends into heaven. Why couldn’t anyone recognize him immediately?
The scholarly answer to this is because Jesus ministered to them in a corporate manner at first, and then this form disappears as they realize that they are not following just a man, but following Jesus in the manner in which he follows God the Father. But I believe that this answer is too complicated, and misses the point that applies to you and me. The reality is revealed when we look at Joseph, after he is Pharaoh’s right hand, and his brothers come to him for food after a great famine:
Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. – Genesis 42:8
Why didn’t his brothers recognize him? Because they killed him. Because they beat him and sold him into slavery. Because at one point in their life, they hated him and murdered him in their hearts. How could you recognize someone that you killed? Even when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, they were completely unable to comprehend what was happening:
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. – Genesis 45:3
The same thing happens with Jesus, after revealing himself to his disciples:
Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” – Luke 24:36-41
I believe this was difficult for the disciples to understand as well, and recognize Jesus, because they crucified him. It wasn’t just the Romans who killed Jesus, it was Peter who denied him, Judas who betrayed him, Paul who persecuted him, and you and I who sin against God and replace him in our hearts. How could we recognize the very man we killed? And furthermore, after recognizing Jesus, how somber would it be for the disciples who doubted him? Likewise, Joseph’s brothers added to their own terror because they were deathly afraid of what he could do to them:
Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” – Genesis 50:15
We all crucified Jesus, and because of this it is difficult to perceive him sometimes. The book of Hebrews affirms that our first crucifixion of Jesus is inherent, with the second being incredibly dangerous, and an entirely different topic in itself:
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. – Hebrews 6:4-6
Are you unable to recognize Jesus speaking directly to you because you’re in the middle of sinning? Are you still in the middle of crucifying Jesus?
Why does God allow bad things to happen to people?
This is one of the most common questions asked about Christianity, and many believe it’s the hardest question of all. But Joseph gives us a simple answer. Now, before we look at Joseph, let’s look at why bad things happened to Jesus:
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. – Isaiah 53:10-11
The simple answer for why Christ suffered was because it was the will of God the Father in order to save us from death. But what does that mean for us? Why do we suffer? Joseph explains, after revealing his identity to his brothers:
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. – Genesis 45:4-8
Joseph affirms that it was God’s will that he would suffer, in order to save his family.
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. – Genesis 50:20
Joseph has understood that his life of slavery and suffering was leading to a greater will and salvation for others. His family and all of Egypt was saved from the famine. Likewise, Jesus’ suffering was leading to the salvation of the whole world.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5
Joseph surrendered his life to God’s will, and saw God ahead of everything that happened to him. This is why God allows suffering to happen. It’s not just because of what the end result is, but because it is his will to save others by placing you before them, like Joseph.
If your response to this is to apply it to a larger scale, and ask questions around why God allows genocide, war, and the persecution and murder of innocent people, the answer is not different. It does, however, require a more focused explanation from scripture. For the purpose of this post, limit the question of suffering to your personal life.
Joseph didn’t talk about saving his brothers during his slavery, but he knew that God was helping him along the way. It’s easy to say that our suffering is meant to help grow us and save those around us, especially after the fact. But while we are suffering, it is hard to know how it could be meant for good. But the how doesn’t matter, it is the hope that it will come. This is Joseph and Jesus’ message for why God allows us to suffer.
Can you hear Jesus speaking to you through your current suffering? Do you believe that he is working this out for your good? Do you love God?
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28
Conclusion
Jesus is always speaking to us, we do not always perceive it. One way he talks to us is through scripture and the lives of those who came before us. Joseph is someone who’s life resonates with many people, and Jesus speaks through him too. The similarities between Joseph and Jesus are astounding, and mean that there is so much more to understand if we want to learn more about Christ. But Joseph is just a whisper of the Messiah, a foretelling of what would come. Jesus is the true King of Dreams, and was in complete control during Joseph’s life.
I hope that this discussion about the glory of Jesus, how unrecognizable he can be, and his suffering, has revealed ways he has been trying to speak with you and me today.
He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them—Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.
The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free. He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed, to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom. – Psalm 105:16-22
It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. – Isaiah 53:10-12
If you’d like to see the full resolution image of the artwork shown in this post, you can view it here on Behance.
Dave Aldon 