Don't Argue Along The Way

Don’t argue along the way.  I love reading the Old Testament and then reflecting on its relationship to the New Testament.  In our reading today, we continue to read about Joseph.  He is a “type” of Christ.  That does not mean he is Christ, but a type in that there are certain characteristics about his role in life that reflect the role of our only Savior, Jesus Christ.  “Types” are not perfect, so we can’t attribute every aspect of Joseph to Christ.  However, Joseph being sold by his brothers, suffering in the land of Egypt, being falsely accused, and ultimately being a “savior” (in the aspect that his role leading to his leadership position saved his father and brothers from starvation) is remarkable.  Joseph was righteous in his life, a great example for us to study, finding himself in a difficult situation through no fault of his own, and so many aspects of his life are reflective of that of Christ.  But there was one statement that Joseph made that sounded exactly like instructions Christ would give his disciples.  When Joseph sent his brothers back to bring the rest of their family to Egypt, Joseph tells them “Don’t argue on the way” (Genesis 45:24).  There were accounts recorded in the Gospel where Jesus detected disagreements with the disciples (in their case they were arguing who would be the greatest in the kingdom) and Jesus would address the dispute.