Neville Goddard on Mark 8:27-33 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Mark 8 in context

Scripture Focus

27And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

28And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

29And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

30And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

31And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

33But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Mark 8:27-33

Biblical Context

Jesus asks who people say he is; Peter proclaims, 'Thou art the Christ,' and Jesus speaks of suffering, rejection, and resurrection, followed by a rebuke to Peter.

Neville's Inner Vision

In this scene, the outer question 'Whom do ye say I am?' is a reflection of your inner state. The disciples symbolize unspecified states of mind; Peter's confession 'the Christ' is the dawning realization that your I AM is the anointed mind through which you experience life. When Jesus predicts the suffering and death, he reveals that your old self—your familiar stories, fears, and attachments—must be relinquished for a greater life to emerge. The rebuke 'Get thee behind me, Satan' is not a judgment of Peter but a correction of misaligned thoughts: you are not to serve the things that be of men but the divine plan within you. The Son of Man rising speaks to a transformation of your consciousness; the resurrection is a present revision of your sense of self. Your task is to refuse to identify with the small person that expects pain, and to identify with the infinite you as the I AM. The inner Christ is not an event; it is the constant awareness that creates, sustains, and redefines your world.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and declare, 'I am the Christ now.' Then revise any fear or lack into the quiet certainty of I AM, and feel that inner state filling every part of you.