The idea
Rachel's firstborn Joseph prefigures Jesus: beloved of his father, betrayed and sold by his brothers for silver, cast down, then exalted to save the very brothers who rejected him. If Jesus is the new Joseph, his mother is the new Rachel.
Key verses
- Genesis 37:25 — Joseph sold by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver (v. 28), at the suggestion of Judah, one of the twelve.
- Genesis 37:3 — the beloved son of his father (Matthew 3:17).
- Matthew 26:15 — Jesus sold for thirty pieces of silver by Judas — Judah in Greek — one of the Twelve.
- Genesis 50:20 — 'ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good' — the key to the story (Pitre cites it as 37:20).
The connection
| Old Testament root | New Testament fulfilment | |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph, firstborn of Rachel — betrayed, then saves | → | Jesus, firstborn of Mary |
Rachel's firstborn Joseph, betrayed and sold for silver by his brothers, prefigures Jesus, betrayed and sold for silver by one of the Twelve. If Jesus is the new Joseph, Pitre reasons, his mother is the new Rachel.
Sources
Old Testament root → New Testament fulfilment
- Genesis 37:3 → Matthew 3:17
the beloved son of his father (Matthew 3:17).