4700. And his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? That this signifies indignation, is evident from the signification of "rebuking," as being to be indignant, and this because of the preaching of truth concerning the Lord's Divine Human, which preaching is signified by "dreaming a dream" (n. 4682, 4693, 4695). The father and brethren of Joseph here denote the Jewish religion derived from the ancient. The external of this religion was for the most part like the external of the Ancient Church. With those who were of the Ancient Church, however, there was an internal in their externals, but not with those who were of the Jewish religion, because the Jews did not acknowledge any internal, nor do they at this day; and yet there was an internal within. This external with its internal is what is here called "father," and the external without the internal is what is called "brethren;" hence the statement follows that "his brethren envied him, but his father kept the word;" and by the first words are signified the aversion of those who are in an external without the internal, and by the last is signified that truth still remained in their religion.
[2] This is the same as it is in the Christian Church, where those who are in the external without the internal eat the bread and drink the wine in the Holy Supper with no other thought than that this should be done because it has been commanded and is accepted by the church. Some of them believe that the bread and the wine are holy, but not that the holiness in them comes from the fact that "bread" is the holy of love and charity in heaven, and that "wine" is the holy of charity and faith there (n. 3464, 3735).
Whereas those who are in external and at the same time in internal worship do not adore the bread and wine, but the Lord whom these represent, and from whom is the holy of love, of charity, and of faith; and this they do, not from doctrine, but from love, charity, and faith, appropriated to the life.