In Neville Goddard’s symbolic reading, biblical characters are not historical figures but living symbols of states of consciousness and inner processes. Joseph, an early teacher of the Law of Assumption in Genesis, reappears in the New Testament as the husband of Mary in the New Testament, represents a stage in the journey of the law of Assumption— the rational mind encountering a new assumption already received and developing in the receptive mind.
Joseph as Imaginative Discipline
Joseph is described as “a just man” — remembering that God means 'judges' and 'rulers', it reinforces that he acts correctly and rightly in relation to the assumptions that are forming. He represents the part of consciousness that wants order, follows rules, and responds to what is just according to inner law.
When Joseph discovers that Mary is with child before they have come together, he is surprised:
“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” — Matthew 1:19
The “quiet divorce” is a temporary hesitation. It represents Joseph stepping back from old habits, expectations, and reasoning — not a final rejection — so he can eventually align with the new assumption forming in Mary.
Mary: The Receptive Mind
Mary represents Eve, now developed into a devoted mind that listens continually to the judgments and directives of the I AM. She receives assumptions directly and brings them into manifestation.
- Her virgin pregnancy represents a new state of being created internally, without outer proof or inherited tradition.
- Joseph’s initial hesitation (quiet divorce) reflects the rational mind resisting the new assumption because it does not yet fit with outer reasoning.
- By eventually cleaving to Mary, Joseph aligns with the new assumption and supports its full realisation in reality.
This also reflects Genesis 2:24:
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife.”
Spiritually, the imaginative mind leaves old identity, habit, and reasoning, cleaving to the receptive mind where the new assumption has been planted.
Joseph: The Supplanter and the Planned Role
The name Joseph means “supplanter.” His repeated appearance in the Bible shows he has a planned role: to bring forth a new assumption whenever it appears. Joseph's stories in Genesis teach us how to maintain our assumptions through imagination, even in the face of conflict and opposition
- In Genesis, Joseph disciplines imagination to bring a new state into expression, in the same way that he brought the opposing aspects of his mind together in his earlier stories.
- In the New Testament, Joseph recognises the new assumption forming in Mary and supports it rather than resisting.
- Being “just” means he acts in alignment with the new assumption, not according to old reasoning.
Joseph’s Transformation: Step by Step
- Surprised — encounters a new assumption without outer proof.
- Temporarily hesitant (quiet divorce) — clears old identity and expectations.
- Recognises the rightness of the new assumption — becomes “just” by supporting it.
- Supports and protects — ensures the assumption is fully expressed in reality.
Key Point
Joseph represents the imaginative mind learning to accept and carry a new assumption already planted in the receptive mind (Mary). Leaving the father and mother (Genesis 2:24) means detaching from old identity, habits, and reasoning. Alignment allows the assumption to manifest in the world. Resistance delays manifestation; acceptance brings it to completion. Joseph is both surprised and just — he recognises the new assumption as correct and protects it, allowing it to produce the intended result.
The birth of Jesus symbolises the full realisation of a new assumption that saves. It is the moment when the planted assumption has matured enough to establish itself in the mind, becoming a fixed reality that can be relied upon to produce consistent effects in life.