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The Return of Benjamin The Prophetic Importance of the Messianic Movement by Rabbi Michael Bugg Originally published on the Return of Benjamin blog
Messiah, Son of Joseph Joseph is so much a picture of the Messiah that the Talmud twice refers to a Mashiach ben Yoseph, a suffering servant who would die for the sake of the nation and who would appear either just before or alongside the Mashiach ben David, the conquering King. As the Jewish Encyclopedia notes:
We know from the Dead Sea Scrolls that there were several theories in the 1st Century that there would be more than one Annointed One; it seems quite possible that the idea of the Mashiach ben Yoseph was around in Yeshua's time, perhaps being referenced in Luke 3:23, which states that Yeshua was "being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph"--a bit of a pun engaged by the good Doctor. Joseph's life parallels that of Yeshua's in many ways. First of all, consider his relationship to Isaac: Isaac, another type of Messiah, was born before Jacob/Israel and indeed gave birth to him, and Joseph was born to him. This prefigures that Yeshua would be both the Root and the Branch of David. Secondly, as did many other figures in Israel's history, both Isaac and Joseph were the products of a miraculous conception, a barren womb being opened. The Holy One one-upped that miracle with the Virgin Birth. Joseph's next parallel to Yeshua is in the relationship with his brothers (a subject that I will explore more fully in my second essay). Why did Joseph's brothers hate him? Because he was the favored son of Israel (and had the gift, the amazing technocolored dreamcoat, to prove it), was prophesied to rule over them despite his low rank in the birth order, and because he gave a bad report about them. Why did Israel's 1st Century leaders hate Yeshua? Because He was the favored Son of God (and had the gifts to prove it, arousing their envy), because He was prophesied to rule over them and they didn't think this hick from Galilee had the right ("Look into it and you'll see that a prophet does not come from Galilee!"), and because instead of siding with them, He brought a bad report. When Joseph went to look into his brothers and found them goofing off yet again (hanging out in Dothan instead of tending the flocks), that's when they decided to do away with him. It was when Yeshua cleared out the Temple courts the second time that the plans to get rid of Him kicked into high gear. Judah was the one who got the bright idea to sell Joseph. Judah/Judas was the one who sold Yeshua, and Judah/Judea handed Him over to the Gentiles. Rabbinic tradition has it that Joseph kept his brothers in prison for three days because he was kept in the cistern for three days. It's interesting that there's a whole theme in Scripture of life from death being granted on the third day (the third day of creation, the Akeddat Yitzchak, Jonah, Esther, etc.). Joseph was falsely accused before Potiphar, the official representative of the then-ruling empire. Potiphar essentially washed his hands of someone that he knew to be innocent to save his own honor. Yeshua was falsely accused before Caesar's representative Pilate, who also washed his hands of an innocent man. Through his trust and obedience even in the midst of unjust shame and suffering, as well as through his wisdom and gifting to correctly interpret prophecy, Joseph was raised to the right hand of Pharaoh. He was given all of Pharaoh's authority--only in regards to the throne itself was Pharaoh Joseph's superior. Through His trust and obedience even in the midst of unjust shame and suffering, as well as through his wisdom and gifting to correctly interpret all Scripture, Yeshua was raised to the right hand of God. All judgment is given to the Son, yet the Father is still the Father. Through his wisdom, Joseph fed the entire Gentile world bread in the midst of a great famine. Through His wisdom, Yeshua feeds the entire Gentile world the Bread of Life, which is the Word of God. Joseph gave to all who came to him, accepting their goods, livestock, lands, and finally their very lives in return for food--and everything they gave him he made them stewards over for Pharaoh. Yeshua gives His Bread to all who come unto Him, gradually accepting our goods, livestock, lands, and finally our very lives--and everything we give unto Him He makes us stewards over for the King of Eternity. Only after he had fed the whole Gentile world did Joseph's brothers come to him, and only in these days of the completion of the Great Commission are Yeshua's brothers coming before Him. Since Joseph's and Yeshua's relationships with their brethren is the focus of my second essay, I'll stop here. The more I study the Torah, the more I see the truth of what the Midrash Rabbah says of it: "What the prophets were destined to prophesy in subsequent generations they received from Mount Sinai. . . Moses gave utterance to all the words of the other prophets as well as his own, and whoever prophesied only gave expression to the essence of Moses’ prophecy" (Exo.R. 28:6, 42:8).
Joseph fed the entire Gentile world the Bread of Life (so to speak) before his brothers came to him. This is the first prophecy of Gentile inclusion in God's Kingdom, corresponding with other prophecies that first the Gentiles would come to the Root of Jesse and be called by the Holy Name, and only after that would Israel be restored (cf. Isa. 11:10ff, Amos 9:11f). When Joseph's brothers come to buy bread, they don't recognize him (Gen. 42:7)! Why not? Because he was dressed in Egyptians clothes, with his head and beard shaved in Egyptian fashion, and speaking to them in Egyptian through an interpreter. Why haven't Yeshua's brothers recognized Him for two millennia? Once again, because we have dressed Him up as a Gentile, given Him a Gentile haircut, and He speaks to His brothers in Gentile language (Greek). Look through the whole corpus of Christian art and try to find a portrait of Yeshua that shows Him with a long, uncut beard, a head covering of some sort, tefillin (phylacteries), or tzitzit (tassels) on His cloak. Only a few old Eastern Orthodox works get it right. More to the point, look at how most Christian commentators exaggerate to cartoonish proportions the differences between Yeshua and the rabbis, never noticing the similarities in teaching, teaching styles (e.g., parables), gathering disciples, emotional makeup (Yeshua was clearly no stoic), etc. Small wonder His brother's can't recognize Him! When Joseph is faced with his brothers, he falsely accuses them, throws them into prison, and binds Simeon before their eyes and takes him away, requiring that they bring him Benjamin if they wish to see his face again (Gen. 42:9ff). In the same way, the Church has in Jesus' name falsely accused the Jews, thrown them into prison, and taken away from the Jewish people, binding Jews who wished to follow the King of the Jews from being among their brothers. (See here for some examples.) Sadly, the Church went even further: Joseph never tortured or slew any of his brothers, but the Church has done so to the brothers of Yeshua! (Note: Here, I am obviously referring to the visible, cultural institution of the Church, comprised of both wheat and tares. Even so, unless the beneficiaries of the Protestant Reformation wish to repudiate Martin Luther, author of The Jews and Their Lies, as not being truly saved, one cannot simply escape corporate responsibility by saying, "Well, real Christians wouldn't do any of that.") But notice here that even in testing his brothers with persecution, Joseph still gives them the Bread of Life they need to live. In fact, he does so freely, giving back the silver that they try to pay him with. Why? Because his brothers already belong to him, whether they know it or not. Is Yeshua less generous than Joseph? And if He is as generous, in what sense has He fed the Jewish people who didn't recognize Him? Also let us note that Joseph seats his brothers in birth order to show that he knows them, much to their amazement and consternation (Gen. 43:33). Today in Judaism, there are increasing numbers of scholars who are studying the NT and discovering how well Yeshua knows them. Indeed, He is increasingly becoming known as a Jew of the Jews and a rabbi ahead of His time. It's not where my people need to be, but the momentum is clearly in the right direction. Now we come to Benjamin, whose significance in this type is so often overlooked. What does he represent in this tale? Let us consider his attributes:
I propose that Benjamin represents the remnant of Jewish believers, Messianic Jews if you will, that Paul assures us the Eternal One always reserves for Himself in Romans 11. Like Benjamin, the faithful remnant were born at the time of the death of their mother, Jerusalem (which dwells in Benjamin's territory). We are the sons of sorrow and the sons of the Right Hand, Yeshua Himself. Like Benjamin, the remnant has always loved Yeshua and vice-versa. Like Benjamin, the remnant has virtually disappeared from the narrative of history, being mentioned only by our enemies when they try to suppress us. Like Benjamin, Israel has not allowed us to be seen among our brothers, and for the same reason: Fear that like Simeon, we will be carried away by the Gentiles, assimilated and lost to a Christian culture. And like Benjamin, we are ultimately "outed" by the discovery of our Lord's Cup in our hands. Benjamin receives five times as much food as his brothers (Gen. 43:44). We have already established that food, bread in particular, is a type of the life-giving sustenance of the Word of God. It's interesting that in Israel, it is becoming well known that the Messianics are ardent students of the Scriptures. In fact, if you want to know if you are talking to a Messianic, there is a simple test: Ask a question about the Law. A traditional Jew will answer from his rabbi or the Talmud; a Messianic will answer from the Scriptures, as our Great Rabbi has taught us. Notice also that only when Benjamin is among his brothers is Simeon returned to them. Simeon, we believe, represents those Jews who were converted to Christianity, bound by law in front of their brethren to no longer live as Jews, and taken away. With the advent of Messianic Judaism, many in the world have become aware that they are descended from Jewish converts to Christianity, and are seeking to know what that means as far as their personal identity goes. Many are even returning to Judaism, both Messianic and traditional, to return to their roots. When Benjamin is caught with Joseph's cup, the brothers face a decision-point: Do they let him be carried away by the Gentiles as Simeon was, or do they protect him as a brother at their own risk. Today, as more and more Jews declare themselves for Yeshua, Judah/Judaism faces the same decision: Do they reject the Messianics and force them out of the community to be assimilated by Gentile Christianity, or do they embrace us as brothers, even at the risk that they believe such inclusion could bring to Judaism? Believe it or not, Israel is starting to come to the same decision as Judah. Among an increasing number of rabbis, there is no longer any question whether born Jews who identify as and live as Jews should be counted as part of the community. The resistance now is to Jews who have converted to Christianity and no longer keep the Torah at all and how to handle our proselytes. (This is why many Messianics completely reject the label of "Christian," which is virtually synonymous with “Gentile.”) When Judah embraced and protected Benjamin as his brother, Joseph revealed himself at last for who he is. Likewise, as we see Judah embracing Messianic Jews, we see another sign that our Lord is soon to return. The more I study the Torah, the more I see the truth of what the Midrash Rabbah says of it: "What the prophets were destined to prophesy in subsequent generations they received from Mount Sinai. . . Moses gave utterance to all the words of the other prophets as well as his own, and whoever prophesied only gave expression to the essence of Moses’ prophecy" (Exo.R. 28:6, 42:8). Shalom! |
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