Who is Messiah Son of Joseph?
This topic can come up in our conversations with Jewish people. That’s because many Jews think there are two Messiahs, one named the Son of David, and the other, the Son of Joseph. And the more we ask questions, the more complex and confusing the subject seems to become. Who then is Messiah Son of Joseph? This title emerged shortly after the time of Yeshua, and was introduced by rabbinical Judaism as a way to address and navigate around a profound biblical dilemma.
One problem they could not resolve, even to today, is a dilemma found in the Talmud. How is it that the Hebrew Scriptures speak of the Messiah who comes from heaven to establish His kingdom as we read in Daniel 7:13 and also speaks of Him coming on a donkey in Zechariah 9:9? (b. Sanh. 11:1, I.100.E)
Considering the many other prophecies of the Messiah’s suffering and even death we find in Daniel 9, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, another question they ask. How come the Messiah suffers and dies when He is supposed to come as a great deliverer, as a mighty soldier whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives? This is what Zechariah 14 tell us. How do we link both these sets of prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah? To resolve this problem, they came up with the two Messiahs theory; one they call Messiah Son of David, the strong and mighty one. The other they call Messiah Son of Joseph, who suffers and dies.
How do they get these two prophecies to meet? The stories are, to say the least, very confusing. The main teaching is that the Messiah, the Son of Joseph comes first from Galilee and fights the war of Gog and Magog but then dies. Then Messiah, the Son of David comes to resurrect him and establish the kingdom.
The Hebrew Scriptures speak of only one Messiah coming twice and His Name is Yeshua. There is one verse, one prophecy in the Scriptures which links these two titles and sees both the First and Second Coming of Yeshua. This verse is found in Zechariah 12:10 which brings us to the moment of the Second Coming, but see how it describes the Messiah here, I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced.
When the Son of David comes back, they will recognize his pierced hands and feet and then they will know that He is also the Son of Joseph, the suffering Messiah who had previously died, resurrected and is now back to establish His Kingdom. Messiah Son of Joseph then is one of His many titles.
But, this title is one of many which Yeshua carries. We can also call Him Messiah Son of Isaac. Isaac willingly allowed his father to place him on the altar, and though he was ultimately not sacrificed, his story nevertheless foreshadows Yeshua, who was sacrificed for the sins of the world.
Remarkably, the Bible identifies the same location for both events; the attempted sacrifice of Isaac, that is, where he was bound, and the sacrifice of the Messiah. They were both on Mount Moriah, where the Temple Mount stands today. According to Jewish tradition, the altar upon which Isaac was bound and the altar of the Temple stood on the very same spot.
We can also call Yeshua Messiah Son of Moses. In Yeshua we see fulfilled the three offices of Moses, that of Prophet in Yeshua’s First Coming, that of Priest, as He is today, and that of King as He will be, when this office will be fulfilled at His Second Coming. Moses attempted to be all these things. Yeshua is all of these things and also the Messiah Son of David for He is a direct descendant of David, as also prophesied.
And the question we ask today is why the focus on the name Joseph? Why specifically this man? There’s a very compelling reason because if there is one individual in the Hebrew Scriptures whose life mirrors the Messiah’s First Coming, it is Joseph. His story offers a powerful prophetic portrait of Yeshua. And this is precisely where our study now leads us. This is the first in a series of teachings which will explore this profound connection; how the life of Joseph prophetically points us straight to the person and mission of Yeshua.
The title Messiah Ben Yoseph is not given without reason. It is a topic that not only opens doors to share the message of the Messiah’s First Coming with both Jews and Gentiles, but also proves to be a deeply enriching subject for us to explore and understand.
Let us first take a bird-eye view of Joseph’s life, which strikingly prefigures the mission and redemption brought by Yeshua. Right away in Genesis 37, the account of the life of Joseph begins with the rejection of Joseph by his brothers. The reason why his brothers hated him was because of the words he spoke and because he was elevated to the position of firstborn, the chosen son of their father. But right away we can see a very strong similarity with Yeshua who was rejected and despised by his people and His brothers, because of the words He spoke, words from the Torah, words of authority, words of divine origin.
Joseph did not fall into temptation and kept a steady faith all along. In the same way Yeshua was also tempted but never sinned and was holy and pure like a perfect lamb, but He was led to the slaughter, as Isaiah says, for the sins of Israel and of the world.
When considering both Joseph and Jesus, what stands out so profoundly is their silence in the face of accusation and persecution. Joseph remained silent when falsely accused of immorality. Likewise, Yeshua did not utter a word in His own defence, even as false witnesses rose against Him. Both entrusted themselves to God, knowing that in the end, He would use it all for the good of His people.
Then, through the workings of God, so miraculously, Joseph reached the highest position in Egypt, second to the king, and from there he forgave and saved his brothers who recognized him as their savior. In the same way, Yeshua, who is now sitting at the right hand of God, is sustaining and preserving Israel until the time He comes back as their Savior and gathers them all to their land in peace.
But it was not only his brothers who Joseph saves, but all the nations who came to Joseph for bread, for there was a famine in the world. It is pointing to Yeshua who is now saving all those who come to Him as He is the Bread of Life, the Manna, and He will come back soon to establish peace and harmony in this world.
Also, we notice that there in Egypt, Joseph married a Gentile, and in similar fashion Yeshua married Gentiles as He is preparing a place for his bride who is, from the nations of the world.
And the great encounter between Joseph and his brothers took place at a great banquet he organized, just like it will be in heaven. This is the great marriage feast, the great banquet that will take place between the Body of the Messiah and all His brothers and sisters in the faith. The connection between Joseph and Yeshua is remarkably strong.