Neville Goddard on Luke 13:23-30 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Luke 13 in context

Scripture Focus

23Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

26Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

27But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

28There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

29And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

Luke 13:23-30

Biblical Context

The passage asks who will be saved; Jesus answers that one must strive to enter through a narrow gate, and many will seek but not succeed. The door will close for those relying on external rites, while others from all directions enter the kingdom; persistence and inner alignment determine true belonging.

Neville's Inner Vision

The dialogue is a map of the inner state. The question about how many are saved points to the real inquiry: who is awake to the I AM within? The strait gate is not a time-bound boundary but a boundary of consciousness: you must align with the feeling that you are already in the kingdom, that your awareness is the master of the house. When you believe you are outside through memory of lack or attachment to external rites, the door appears closed, for your inner door has not opened. Those who insist on external proofs will knock to no avail; yet Abraham and the prophets are the visible signs of your own inner figures who already reign in consciousness. From east, west, north, and south come the sitters of the kingdom because the kingdom is a state of being, not a place you reach by argument. The last shall be first only when you realize the last is the first to awaken in your mind.