Neville Goddard on Matthew 12:1-8 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 12 in context

Scripture Focus

1At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

3But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

4How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

5Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

6But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

7But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

8For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Matthew 12:1-8

Biblical Context

In Matthew 12:1-8, Jesus challenges the Pharisaic Sabbath enforcement, showing that mercy takes precedence over ritual and that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Neville's Inner Vision

Within the pages of Matthew 12:1-8, the scene is not a dispute over a day but a doorway into your own being. The Sabbath is a state of consciousness, a rest in the I AM where mercy takes precedence over ritual. The hungry disciples reflect your own hungry thoughts seeking sustenance from Life, and the Pharisees’ verdict represents the habit of judgment that blocks awareness. David eating the showbread is the inner act of permitting true nourishment when form forbids it; the temple priests symbolize the roles you cling to, not the living Presence you are. In this place there is one greater than the temple: your inner reality, the Christ in you, the Lord of the Sabbath. If you knew the meaning of "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice," you would not condemn the guiltless thoughts that arise to show a need. The Son of Man is Lord here and now, the ruling awareness that creates your day. The law serves to guide you toward mercy, not imprison you in it.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and revise the scene in your mind, saying, 'I am the mercy that feeds the hungry in me now.' Feel the freedom of being the Lord of my own Sabbath, resting in the I AM.