Perceiving Crafty Temptations
Luke 20:23 - A Neville Goddard interpretation
Read Luke 20 in context
Scripture Focus
Biblical Context
Jesus perceives their craftiness and asks aloud why they tempt him. The moment shows that outer events reveal inner motives; discernment is the first step to truth.
Neville's Inner Vision
Luke 20:23 is not a contest of wits with men; it is the recognition that I, as the I AM, perceive the craftiness that arises in any state of mind seeking to unsettle me. Temptation is not ‘out there’ but a movement of consciousness that your attention has entertained. Jesus’ words, 'Why tempt ye me,' are an invitation to withdraw from the drama and to observe the inner motion rather than react to its surface. When I identify with the I AM, I am not vulnerable to schemes; I am the witness, the one who can revise the entire scene by simply changing the state I inhabit. The craftiness dissolves as the mind restates the truth: I am awareness, I am the criteria by which events are judged, and I choose the state that produces this moment. In practice, you do not fight the other; you refuse to enter their assumption. You re-state the situation from your God-state: I AM here, therefore the temptation has no power to alter what I am.
Practice This Now
Imaginative Act: When temptation rises, assume the state of the perceiver and revise the scene by affirming 'I AM' as the observer; feel it real that you are the I AM witnessing the motion and dissolving craftiness.
The Bible Through Neville
Neville Bible Sparks
