They can be compared to the nominal Christianity of today which wants a Christianity that is moralistic only, devoid of the miraculous and the supernatural. Jacob was still alive in the days of Jesus' earthly life. If you are a believer in Christ, this is what you may expect also. Disembodied spirits or persons who have simply ceased to exist do not sit at table long after their physical death. The universal testimony of God's word is that there is a very real, bodily, eternal life of unimaginable bliss and joy for the people of God.
Works are the evidence of faith.
Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. Nevertheless, works are the only evidence of faith, as James writes. In order to see that evidence, we need to briefly consider the material between the two passages in Genesis with which we have been dealing. He gives them instructions about his burial, and then proceeds to bless, exhort and chasten them, and proclaim to them by the Holy Spirit what will take place in the future. Foretold are the numerous descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's own natural sons whom Jacob lovingly claims, that they may become heads of tribes.