The story of Jesus’ birth in Matthew 1:18–25, often taken as a literal event, blossoms into something far more personal and transformational when approached through the symbolic insights of Neville Goddard. For Neville, the Bible is not a chronicle of external history, but a psychological drama playing out within each of us. In this passage, the miraculous conception of Jesus is not about biology—it is about the birth of the divine imagination within the individual.
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise..." (v. 18)
Mary, in Neville’s teaching, represents the subconscious mind—that fertile field in which ideas planted by the imagination grow into reality. She is found to be "with child of the Holy Ghost," suggesting that her pregnancy comes not from the physical world, but from a divine creative impulse. This is the seed of imagination taking root.
The Holy Ghost, far from being an abstract mystery, is the active power of God—the imagination. When an idea is deeply felt and accepted as true, it is as though the subconscious has conceived it. This child will not come through logic or outer effort, but through inner acceptance.
"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man..." (vv. 19–20)
Joseph symbolises the conscious, rational mind—a mind trained to trust only in what can be seen and reasoned. He is troubled by what he perceives as an impossible situation. But it is precisely in this moment of confusion that divine guidance enters in the form of a dream.
In Neville’s framework, dreams are not idle illusions but messages from the deeper self. The angel represents a revelation, a higher truth clothed in symbolic form. Joseph is told not to fear accepting Mary, for what is conceived in her is "of the Holy Ghost" — it is a divine idea. The message is clear: do not resist the imagination's work simply because it defies logical explanation.
"And thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." (v. 21)
The name Jesus (Yeshua) means "salvation." This is not a reference to external deliverance, but to the transformation that occurs when one awakens to the power of "I AM" within. Sin, in Neville’s interpretation, is not moral failure but simply "missing the mark" — a failure to assume the right state of being.
To name the child Jesus is to recognise that salvation is born from within. It is the awareness of your own creative power—the understanding that by changing your inner assumptions, you change your world.
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child..." (vv. 22–23)
This fulfilment of prophecy is not about predicting external events. It is about the eternal truth that the subconscious (the virgin) can give birth to reality without the intervention of the physical world. The prophecy is fulfilled every time you dare to believe in the unseen, and assume your desire is already a fact.
Emmanuel, meaning "God with us," is the realisation that God is not apart from you. God is your own wonderful human imagination. This birth is the dawning of that awareness.
"Then Joseph... did as the angel had bidden him... and called his name Jesus." (vv. 24–25)
When Joseph names the child, he is doing more than giving a label. In biblical symbolism, to name is to give life, to affirm the reality of a thing. By accepting the message and calling the child Jesus, Joseph (the conscious mind) aligns with Mary (the subconscious) and the idea becomes incarnate.
This is the moment of union. The imaginal act is complete. The state of consciousness has shifted, and the new reality is born.
Conclusion
In Neville Goddard’s view, the birth of Jesus is the story of your own awakening. It is the moment you recognise the creative power within and dare to live from the end—to assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled. Every time you do, you allow a new state of being to be born. This is the Christmas miracle not of history, but of consciousness.
Jesus is not a man you worship, but the state of salvation you embody. He is the manifestation of your own divine imagination.
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