Advent of the Suffering Son of Joseph

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”
“Joy to the world!”
“‘Tis the season to be jolly!”

In our culture, Christmas has become synonymous with a time of merry celebration. But, there are hurting people all over our broken world today that holiday clichés of cheer fail to help. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one this year, and this is your first Christmas with an empty chair. Maybe this is the 20th year in a row of being isolated from family or friends. I write this for you: understanding the meaning of Christmas won’t immediately take away your grief or loneliness. It will, however, give you hope in the God who suffers with you, who will eventually wipe away all tears.

Advent of the Messiah

So, if Christmas isn’t just a celebration, what is it? First and foremost, it’s about the advent of the Messiah, Jesus, coming into this world in the flesh. But what kind of a Messiah would Jesus be? As Jewish theologians reflected on prophecies in the Hebrew scriptures, they saw two contrasting anointed figures who would come: Messiah Son of David and Messiah Son of Joseph.

Messiah Son of David seems clear enough. God promised King David that a son of his would forever reign (2 Samuel 7:16). In fact, the word “advent” usually refers to a king’s visit to a city, with all the pomp and circumstance. Certainly, Jesus is that reigning king, the Son of David. His followers are spreading his kingdom over the world and eagerly await his return and full rule. But Messiah Son of Joseph? What’s that about? This will take a bit to unpack, but, for starters, it’s more than just a reference to Jesus’ earthly dad.

When Joy Is No More

Rewind back to the story of Jacob and his favorite son Joseph in Genesis 37. Joseph had dreams that he would be exalted over his dad, mom, and eleven brothers. The brothers, not liking daddy’s spoiled tattletale, sold him into slavery and faked his death. How were these dreams to come true now? Joseph’s mom Rachel had died when Benjamin was born. And now, Jacob was grieving the loss of his favorite son of his favorite wife, who both were now “no more” (Genesis 42:36). Refusing to be comforted, Jacob longed to join his wife and son in death.

Fast-forward to the prophets. The people had broken their covenant with God, resulting in exile to Babylon. In Jeremiah 31:15, the story of Joseph is referenced. It poetically imagines Rachel grieving with her husband from heaven over Joseph. Just as Joseph was “no more”, the people of Ephraim (one of Joseph’s sons) were “no more” in exile. This exile was horrible, and there appeared to be no hope. The people, like Joseph, were exiled and undergoing incredible suffering, likely assuming God had abandoned them.

No Quick Fixes

To make matters worse, false prophets arose to give the people false hope that their suffering would be over soon, as if to say, “Don’t grieve. God will fix things soon.” In reality, however, the exile would last 70 years. It was time to settle down to a new normal. It’s in this context that Jeremiah gives the familiar message: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (Jeremiah 29:11).

God had plans they didn’t want: 70 years of exile. Their suffering would not be over as soon as others claimed. But despite that, there was still hope: their children would one day emerge from exile and prosper yet again. Ironically, when we use verses like this out of context as happy clichés for those undergoing suffering, we echo the words of the false prophets Jeremiah confronted. We give false hope by downplaying or discrediting people’s real pain by casually asserting everything will be okay soon.

Redemption Through Suffering

How could God’s plan of 70 long years of exile be to “prosper” and not “harm” the people? Jump back to the story of Joseph. Jacob thought his son was dead, but Joseph was instead enduring incredible injustices in Egypt. Nevertheless, God was with him every step of the way. Eventually, God reversed this situation to raise him up to be the right-hand man to Pharaoh. From this, he would go on to save his family (and the world) from a great famine. Make no mistake: from slavery, false accusations, imprisonment, and neglect, Joseph’s suffering was not trivial. He must have wondered if God had abandoned him. In the end, through the journey of suffering, God worked for the prosperity and salvation of God’s family (Genesis 50:20), fulfilling the prophetic dreams many years later.

This full context of Joseph’s story helps us understand how God could use something as ugly as exile to bring about something good. The reference to Joseph’s story in Jeremiah has the connotation that: yes, things were really bad in exile, but God was still with them. He was exiled with them. There was still hope that God would one day make everything right again. This is more than passive, wishful thinking. This kind of hope acknowledges both the reality of suffering and actively clings to the certainty that God will make good on his promises. It is closely connected to faith (Hebrews 11:1).

Joseph is just one example where a righteous one suffers to bring about redemption. Another well known example is when Isaiah prophesied of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. The theme of Joseph’s difficult journey is found all over in the Bible.

Emmanuel

So what does all this have to do with Christmas? When Jesus arrived on the scene over 2000 years ago, he wasn’t born in a regal palace like a Davidic king. Instead, he entered a broken world, in a humble manger to a poor family under foreign occupation. Jesus’ first advent was as Messiah Son of Joseph, the suffering servant who entered our brokenness and suffered alongside us.

In fact, Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15 when Herod kills the toddlers of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:18). Jesus, like Joseph, found himself in exile in Egypt. He also would endure hardship before becoming King. The magi recognized Jesus as the Son of David, worthy of royal tribute, but his primary role would be the Son of Joseph in this first advent. As Emmanuel (God with us), Jesus came to suffer alongside us. Through his suffering, God exalted him to God’s right hand and delivered us from our sin and suffering (Philippians 2:6-11), replaying Joseph’s story.

So, whether your Christmas this year is a merry one or not, take comfort that God is with you in your suffering. Maybe he will address it soon and maybe not. Pray that he can use it for his glory.

Christ suffered for us and with us when he came the first time. We eagerly anticipate and put our hope in his second advent when he will return as Son of David in full power to make everything right again. Maranatha – come Lord Jesus.

Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.

Psalm 119:49-50