Neville Goddard on John 20:15-17 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read John 20 in context

Scripture Focus

15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

John 20:15-17

Biblical Context

Mary Magdalene weeps at the tomb and mistakes Jesus for the gardener. Jesus then names her as 'Mary,' she recognizes him as Rabboni, and he sends her to tell the disciples that he ascends to the Father and to God.

Neville's Inner Vision

See this scene as your inner drama. The gardener you mistake for the Lord is the busy outward mind, the old self crying for proof in form. When your inner I AM speaks your name—Mary—you awaken to Rabboni, the Master within, who knows that the Father and your God are your inseparable ground. The line 'not yet ascended' is not a prohibition but a cue to release attachment to old identities; you ascend by living from the awareness that you are one with the Father in the present moment. Then you are sent to your brethren—the inner thoughts and outer circumstances—announcing that the kingdom is within, that resurrection is a current state, already achieved in consciousness. You are not the tomb; you are the consciousness that steps out, naming itself, and declaring: I ascend, I am with God, and God is with me.

Practice This Now

Take a moment to assume Rabboni as your present state. Silently revise the tomb scene so the gardener dissolves, and feel the I AM naming you; then tell your inner brethren that the Father within you is your God.