Neville Goddard on Luke 2:41-52 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Luke 2 in context

Scripture Focus

41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

42And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

43And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.

44But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

45And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

46And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

47And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

50And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Luke 2:41-52

Biblical Context

The twelve-year-old Jesus stays behind in the temple, is found teaching and asking questions, and declares he must be about his Father's business, signaling growth in wisdom and favor.

Neville's Inner Vision

Consider the child not as a boy in a distant land, but as the consciousness you ARE this moment. The pilgrimage to the temple is your ascent of awareness; the parents are your outer duties and opinions that travel with you. When he tarried behind, it was not neglect but a moment your I AM allows you to linger in the temple of ideas, listening to the doctors of your own inner truth. Three days of absence symbolize a period of inner questioning, and the discovery among the doctors represents the moment your inner understanding gathers. The astonishment of those who hear him mirrors the awe you awaken in others when you speak from the living claim of your own awareness. His words, 'How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?' reveal the law: you are not seeking elsewhere; your Father’s business is the active realization of your true nature as I AM, the seer and creator. As you align with this inner mission, you increase in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man—your inner truth becoming outward grace.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and imagine you are in the temple within, listening to your inner doctors speak; permit a personal question to be answered by your higher self. Then affirm quietly: I am about my Father's business, here and now.