Letters From Home Friday of the Second Week of Lent - Dr. John Bergsma
Mar 6, 2026
Reflections on Joseph as prophet, betrayed brother, and savior figure who prefigures Christ. Exploration of typology linking descent, exaltation, and bread to passion and Eucharist. Interpretation of the vineyard parable about rejected messengers, the cornerstone, and the church as living stones. Practical Lenten call to tend your spiritual vineyard and offer true fruit.
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Joseph As A Christ Type
- Joseph functions as a multi-layered type of Christ in Israel's history, combining roles of patriarch, prophet, and savior during famine.
- His prophetic dreams, descent into a pit, and rise to Egypt mirror Christ's persecution, descent, exaltation, and provision of bread.
Joseph Thrown In A Cistern Then Sold
- Bergsma recounts Joseph's brothers throwing him into a cistern and selling him to traders after Resentment over his favored status and dreams.
- Reuben's failed rescue and Judah's proposal to sell Joseph set the stage for his slavery in Egypt.
Betrayal And Elevation In Joseph's Story
- Joseph's story parallels Jesus: betrayal by a brother figure, suffering, and later saving many by administering grain from the right hand of Pharaoh.
- Bergsma links Judah to Judas and Joseph's elevation to Christ's enthronement and Eucharistic provision.