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

Read Matthew 15 in context

Scripture Focus

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 15:15-20

Biblical Context

Peter asks for clarification of a parable, and Jesus explains that defilement comes from the heart, not external rituals. What enters the mouth goes to the belly, but what comes from the heart—evil thoughts and actions—defiles a person.

Neville's Inner Vision

Treat purity as the state of your inner awareness. The body merely processes the input of your consciousness; what truly dirties you are the beliefs, judgments, and impulses stored in the heart. The verse shows that external rituals cannot touch your essential nature. If you revise your inner state and claim the I AM as your constant, you begin to see that defilement arises from within, not from unwashen hands. When you assume a pristine inner condition and feel it as real, your words and actions align with that truth, and the outer world reflects a purified man or woman. Do not seek to cleanse through form alone; cleanse by insisting, here and now, that you are the pure awareness through which all appears. Your heart’s posture is the seed of your life; nurture it with steadfast love and integrity, and the rest follows.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Assume the state now—feel 'I AM' as your constant awareness and declare, 'I am pure.' Let that feeling inform your speech and daily choices.