Neville Goddard on John 20:19-23 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read John 20 in context

Scripture Focus

19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.

21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

John 20:19-23

Biblical Context

The disciples hide behind locked doors in fear; Jesus enters, speaks peace, and commissions them with the Holy Spirit.

Neville's Inner Vision

Fear is not a fact; it is a state you have assumed about yourself. The locked door is your present assumption that you are apart from the I AM. When the risen presence stands in the midst of your mind, Peace is spoken as the renewing awareness: you are the God-conscious I AM already at rest. The gesture of showing the hands and side is the inner proof that your life is filled with the evidence of the Spirit; and when you acknowledge it, your heart leaps with gladness. As the Father sent me, so you are sent — an inner command to act from that higher self, not from fear. And with the breath—the Holy Ghost—you awaken into co-creation, breathing life into decisions, acts, and words. Sins remitted or retained reflect your inner verdicts; remit the idea that you are separate from God, and you dissolve guilt in others by the conviction that God is within you, always forgiving and freeing.

Practice This Now

Step into the practice: close your eyes, assume the feeling of Peace, and gently tell your fear that peace now moves through you; breathe as if the Spirit is moving through your being. Then forgive someone in your mind and feel the release as your inner conviction dissolves the sense of guilt.