Neville Goddard on Luke 16:22-26 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Luke 16 in context

Scripture Focus

22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Luke 16:22-26

Biblical Context

Two characters, Lazarus the beggar and the rich man, die; Lazarus is taken to comfort while the rich man suffers; a fixed gulf sits between their states, illustrating that outcomes reflect one's inner consciousness, not mere fate.

Neville's Inner Vision

Luke 16:22-26 presents not a geography of afterlife but a geography of mind. Lazarus the beggar embodies a soul that is emptied of attachment to appearances and open to the abundance of God; Abraham's bosom is the warm shelter of awareness, the I AM that carries one in mercy. The rich man embodies the consciousness attached to wealth, status, and external proofs, imagining separation from the source of life. The moment of death in the tale marks the verdict of consciousness: Lazarus moves into the comfortable presence of God-consciousness; the rich man remains in a state of self-imposed torment born of identification with lack and separation. The great gulf is a fixed belief that passage is blocked by established separations; it disappears as one shifts allegiance from form to the indwelling I AM. In Neville terms, the whole scene is a demonstration that your present state defines your experience; you cannot cross the gulf while you cling to appearances, but you can begin crossing by assuming the feeling of being cared for by God now. The correction is inner, not external; mercy begins within and radiates outward.

Practice This Now

Assume the feeling of being carried into Abraham's bosom by your I AM awareness. Revise any sense of separation by quietly declaring, 'I am one with God now,' and feel that bliss as real in the body.