Neville Goddard on Luke 5:17-26 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Luke 5 in context

Scripture Focus

17And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

20And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

23Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

24But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

25And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

26And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

Luke 5:17-26

Biblical Context

Jesus forgives the paralytic’s sins and, seeing the faith of those who brought him, heals him by commanding him to rise; the inner forgiveness precedes the outward restoration, demonstrating the power of conscious faith.

Neville's Inner Vision

In Luke 5:17-26, the 'power to heal' is the quiet, abiding presence of the I AM within you. The paralytic’s body stands as a symbol of a mind bound by belief and doubt. The friends symbolize persistent faith that refuses to be blocked by appearances. When Jesus forgives the sins first, it is not a moral verdict but an inner recalibration—a turning of attention toward your true self. Forgiveness, in Neville’s sense, is the recognition that nothing external can compromise your wholeness unless you imagine it so; guilt dissolves when you align with the reality of your divine consciousness. The scribes’ doubt mirrors the old mental scripts that question your sovereignty; the question posed to their hearts invites you to examine your own inner state. By declaring forgiveness first, the inner reality is established, and the outer miracle follows as demonstration. The final rise and take-up of the couch shows that healing is the natural result of inner alignment with the power you already are—God present within you as the I AM, now released into action.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and assume you are the I AM, forgiving yourself for every limitation. Feel the inner state shift, then mentally command healing to arise in your body and observe the sense of movement as if you were rising into your natural wholeness.