Genesis 50:7-9

And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

This was no small procession.

Jacob had come down into Egypt as an old shepherd in the time of famine. But now, when he is carried back toward Canaan, it is with a great company around him. The servants of Pharaoh are there. The elders of Egypt are there. Chariots are there. Horsemen are there. Joseph’s brothers are there. His household is there. His father’s house is there. The whole scene is full of weight and dignity.

It was a very great company.

That says something about how the Lord had ordered Jacob’s story. The man who once crossed over Jordan with only his staff is now carried home with honor. The man who knew so much grief, fear, loss, and wandering is now followed by a procession that could not be ignored. God knows how to write an ending that looks very different than the middle.

But the phrase that catches my attention is this: Joseph went up.

That matters because so much of Genesis has been about going down. Joseph went down into the pit. Joseph went down into Egypt. Jacob and his sons went down because of famine. So much of the story has moved in that direction. Down into sorrow. Down into suffering. Down into the place of humiliation.

But now the movement changes.

Joseph went up.

And he did not go up alone. A great company went with him.

That is where the picture begins to open.

Joseph, the rejected one, the separated one, the one who suffered before he was exalted, is now leading others upward toward the land of promise. The path first went downward. Then came exaltation. And now, from that place of exaltation, he leads a company upward.

That is a beautiful glimpse of Jesus Christ.

He too came down.

Down from heaven.

Down into this broken world.

Down into rejection.

Down into suffering.

Down into death itself.

But He did not remain there. God highly exalted Him. He rose, He ascended, and now the One who went down and was raised up is bringing many with Him into what God has promised.

That is the pattern here.

Joseph is not merely traveling to Canaan.

He is a picture of the greater Joseph, Jesus Christ, who by way of suffering entered into glory, and now leads a people in the upward call of God.

And notice what set this procession in motion. A death.

Jacob has died, and because of that death Joseph rises to bring him into the place of promise. That is striking. Joseph goes up because death has entered the scene.

But with Jesus, it is even greater. He went into death Himself, and through His own death and resurrection He has opened the way for His people to be brought home. Joseph leads a funeral procession. Jesus leads a redeemed people. Joseph goes up to bury the dead. Jesus went up having conquered death so that those who believe in Him might live.

That is why this little phrase carries such weight. Joseph went up.

There is gospel music in that.

The suffering one is now the exalted one.

The rejected one is now the leading one.

The one who was cast down is now the one bringing others toward promise.

And there is one more thing that stands out. Egypt can honor Jacob, but Egypt cannot keep him.

Egypt can send chariots. Egypt can send horsemen. Egypt can send its nobles and its elders. But for all its power, Egypt cannot hold on to one who belongs to the covenant promise of God.

That will preach right into the heart.

This world may surround the believer for a season. It may shape much of the outward story. It may even show honor now and then. But this world cannot keep what belongs to God. Egypt is not home. Goshen is not home. The promise lies farther up.

And so Joseph leads this great company toward Canaan, and in doing so he gives us another quiet but powerful glimpse of Christ. The One who went down first now goes up. The One who suffered now leads. The One who was rejected now stands at the front of a great company moving toward what God has promised.

That is our Lord.

He went down into death for us.

He rose in victory for us.

And now He leads His people upward.