Neville Goddard on Luke 20:1-8 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Luke 20 in context

Scripture Focus

1And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,

2And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

3And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:

4The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

5And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

6But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.

7And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.

8And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

Luke 20:1-8

Biblical Context

In Luke 20:1-8 the religious authorities demand Jesus' authority; he deflects by turning the question inward, asking about John’s baptism and its source.

Neville's Inner Vision

Luke 20:1-8 is a study in inner states cloaked as an external confrontation. The priests and elders symbolize a mind stuck in proof and external authority; Jesus embodies the imaginative I AM that already governs all events. When they demand, 'by what authority?' he answers with a question of his own: the baptism of John—was it from heaven or of men? This is not a guess about history but a cue to your own inward weather. If you answer from the old theatre of doubt, you remain dependent on others’ verdicts; if you answer from the witness within, you acknowledge that all ‘voices’—heavenly or human—are but apparitions of your present state. The moment they cannot tell whence John came mirrors your reluctance to affirm your own power. Jesus’ refusal to reveal external authority is an invitation to turn inside and claim the source. The authority you seek is not a title conferred by men but the I AM you are already. When you revise the belief, imagining the inner baptism as completed, you experience events aligning with a single decree: I am the source and author here, and imagination is the instrument that makes it real.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and declare: I AM the authority of my life. Revise any external claim by affirming the I AM as source, and feel the truth as real in your chest.