Neville Goddard on Matthew 15:1-20 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 15 in context

Scripture Focus

1Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

7Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

12Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

15Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

16And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

17Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Matthew 15:1-20

Biblical Context

Jesus challenges the scribes and Pharisees, showing that defilement comes from the heart rather than external ritual; true purity arises from inner alignment with God-consciousness.

Neville's Inner Vision

Within Neville’s Light, the Pharisees' complaint exposes the habit of equating purity with ritual. The inner state is what matters; the mouth merely parades a pretense when the heart isn't aligned with the I AM. The 'tradition of men' stands as a mental program you inherited, not a law etched in stone. Jesus warns that what defiles is not what enters the mouth but what proceeds from the heart: your fears, judgments, and vain ambitions. See that you are not choosing cleanliness of hands, you are choosing a clean inner posture. The Father’s planting is a continuous self-renewal; any belief not rooted in your true consciousness will be uprooted. Let the blind leaders of the blind fall away, for they guide you with rules that dim your awakening. The call is to revision of self-conception—clear your inner air, align every thought, word, and intention with the I AM that you are. When you do, the outer life follows as a true echo of inner purity.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Assume the state that I am pure of heart now; revise any belief that purity comes from forms; feel-it-real the inner I AM as your sole standard, and let your words flow from that light.