At first glance, it may seem odd that Joseph—the man entrusted with the protection of the infant Jesus—receives his divine instructions only in the Gospel of Matthew, not in Luke. Especially considering that Luke’s Gospel gives us all the imagery we associate with the nativity: the manger, the shepherds, the angelic proclamation.
But the Bible, as Neville Goddard teaches, is not history. It is psychological symbolism. Every character represents a state of consciousness. Every event is a movement within the imagination. So when a detail like this stands out, it’s not a narrative oversight—it’s a revelation of spiritual law.
Joseph: The Silent Obedience to Inner Vision
In Matthew, Joseph receives four separate visions in dreams:
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To take Mary as his wife.
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To flee to Egypt with the child.
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To return to Israel after Herod’s death.
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To avoid Judea and dwell in Galilee.
Neville would point out that dreams in Scripture symbolise the depth of the subconscious, the place where divine instruction (imagination) is heard most clearly. Joseph, who never speaks a word in the Gospels, is the symbol of the inner man who obeys—not outer laws, but the word of God spoken in dream (imagination).
He is the prototype of faithful acceptance—the man who trusts what he cannot yet see, and acts accordingly. In Neville’s terms, Joseph represents the state of consciousness that yields completely to the imaginal act, even when it contradicts outer appearances.
Why This Happens in Matthew
Matthew represents the beginning of the spiritual awakening—the moment the individual leaves the world of sense (the tax booth, as Matthew the disciple does) and turns inward.
Neville taught that every story in the Bible is unfolding within the individual. In this light, Joseph appears in Matthew because this Gospel initiates the journey of faith and assumption. The visions Joseph receives are inner realisations—direct instructions from imagination itself. They come not with thunder or spectacle, but quietly, in a dream, and are followed not by questioning, but obedience.
Just like the Joseph of Genesis, who became ruler of Egypt by trusting the meaning of dreams, this Joseph ascends through alignment with inner guidance.
Matthew, Abraham, and the Pattern of Faith
It is no accident that the Gospel of Matthew opens with a genealogy that begins, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Neville explains that Abraham represents faith—the willingness to believe in the unseen and act upon it.
Abraham left his native country, just as Matthew left his tax booth, and just as Joseph leaves the world of appearances to obey the dream. These are not separate men, but the same psychological journey. Matthew begins with Abraham because that is where the spiritual story always begins: with a decision to trust imagination above facts.
In this context, Joseph's appearance in Matthew is not just fitting—it is inevitable. He is Abraham in a new form, moving faithfully through the world according to the command of an inner voice. His four dreams are symbolic of spiritual direction rooted in belief, not external reason.
Luke and the Imaginative Womb
By contrast, Luke focuses almost entirely on Mary. Mary, in Neville’s interpretation, is the human imagination—the virgin womb that can conceive the Word of God (a desire or idea) without the aid of man. She is the receptive state, willing and magnifying the Lord (Law of Being: “I Am”).
Luke’s Gospel is therefore feminine in tone, emotionally rich and filled with contemplative symbols. But Joseph fades into the background because Luke is not the Gospel of action—it is the Gospel of gestation.
Joseph belongs in Matthew because he represents the masculine impulse to do—to follow the imaginal vision to the letter, even when it defies reason.
The Symbolic Parallel: Old and New Josephs
Neville often pointed out that Scripture repeats itself symbolically, not historically. The Joseph of the Old Testament is the dreamer whose visions elevate him to rulership and deliver his family. The Joseph of the New Testament is again the dreamer—his dreams are what guide and protect the new birth (the Christ, or awakened imagination).
That this pattern repeats tells us something important: the Bible is not history. It is a psychological drama. It reveals the law of consciousness over and over again, through archetypes that evolve across the pages.
A Deliberate Structure of Awakening
The fact that Joseph’s four dreams appear only in Matthew is not a literary accident—it is a symbolic necessity. Matthew is the Gospel that marks the beginning of the spiritual journey, the step from external reliance into inner obedience. Joseph appears here as the archetype of that obedience—silent, faithful, and utterly surrendered to the unseen.
Neville would say that this is you, when you finally cease arguing with appearances and begin to act as though your imaginal assumption is already real.
That is Joseph. That is Matthew. That is the beginning of the Word becoming flesh.
Bible Verses Pertaining to Joseph's Dreams
For further reading, here are the key Bible verses from the Gospel of Matthew, where Joseph’s four dreams are revealed:
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Matthew 1:20-21 – “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
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Matthew 2:13-15 – “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”
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Matthew 2:19-21 – “But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.”
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Matthew 2:22-23 – “But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.”
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