Neville Goddard on Matthew 15:11-20 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 15 in context

Scripture Focus

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 15:11-20

Biblical Context

Jesus teaches that defilement comes from within the heart and its thoughts, not from what enters the mouth or external rituals.

Neville's Inner Vision

Notice that Jesus is not repudiating food but revealing the law of your own consciousness. What defiles a man is not the meal going into the mouth but the products of a frightened, reactive heart: the judgments, the harsh words, the secret schemes born in you. Your awareness is the I AM; your imagination is the valve through which reality flows. When you entertain thoughts of lack, blame, or guilt, you plant weeds in the garden of your being, and their fruit appears as acts, words, and appearances outside. The Pharisaical concern with ritual cleanliness is a projection of an inner ritualism you still practice in your mind. The cure is simple: refuse to accept as real any state that does not feel like wholeness. See that whatever proceeds out of the mouth stems from your inner heart; thus repair the heart, and the outer world is normalized to your new state. You are not condemned; you are invited to revise your state until it feels true that you are already pure, loved, and free.

Practice This Now

Assume the feeling of being already pure and loved. Revise any moment when you found yourself thinking or speaking harshly by silently declaring, 'I AM clean now,' and feel the inner shift as your new reality.