Listen to this articleWhen Joseph was in prison two people come to him seeking interpretation for their dreams. The Cup bearer and the Baker. Both their dreams would be fulfilled in three days. This is the story of the Holy Communion
Genesis 40:2-3, 5 (ESV)
2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation.
The chief cup bearer was in charge of the king’s wine. The chief baker was in charge of the kings bread. The cup bearer represented the wine, which is the blood of Jesus. ThebBaker represented the bread which is the body of Jesus. Let’s hear from Christ.
Luke 22:19-20 (ESV)
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
1 Corinthians 10:16 (ESV)
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
With this in mind, the story of Joseph shall teach us some interesting things about the blood and body of Christ.
THE CUP OF WINE
Genesis 40:9, 12-13 (ESV)
9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.
Pharaoh the King represented God the Father, and so after three days, the blood of christ would be raised to God’s throne and presented before the father to minister before him.
Hebrews 9:22, 24 (ESV)
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
THE BROKEN BREAD
Christ broke the bread.
Genesis 40:16, 18-19 (ESV)
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”
So the body of Christ was to be hung on a tree.
Acts 5:30 (ESV) The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
The baker was to die, just as the bread must be broken. This showed that the body of Christ would be hung, as the perfect sacrifice to pay for sins committed by all mankind.
Hebrews 10:10 (ESV) And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
But let’s look at something interesting. The baker died and that was it, yet the cupbearer lived on before pharaoh and it was the testimony of the cup bearer that got Joseph out of prison
Genesis 41:9-10, 12-14 (ESV)
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
Joseph represents sinful mankind who was in prison. The baker died, that’s the sacrifice of the body of Christ which was given once and for all. Yet the blood continues to testify on our behalf. And it is that blood that brings our redemption
Hebrews 12:24 (ESV) and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Revelation 5:9-10 (NRSV)
9 They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; 10 you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.”
In the same way that the word of the cupbearer is what brought Joseph from the pit, that he may be a governor of Egypt, it is the testimony of the blood, that redeems the saints that they may sit as kings and priests serving God.
This is Holy! The Lord was opening my eyes to this reality and finding this article was dive. I find interesting in the verse that says that the anger of Pharaoh put both baker and cupbearer in prison. Reminds me of the cup of the wrath that Jesus had to take so we could participate now in His body and in His blood.