Neville Goddard on Matthew 20:1-16 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 20 in context

Scripture Focus

1For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Matthew 20:1-16

Biblical Context

The parable shows a householder who pays all workers the same penny, provoking complaint from those who worked longer. It points to the kingdom of heaven as grace that transcends human notions of fairness.

Neville's Inner Vision

Beloved, the householder is the I AM within you—the unbounded awareness that calls things into being. The laborers are the various states of mind you entertain, some standing idle because you have not yet believed in your own worth. The penny is the fixed salary of divine assurance—the outcome you permit to stand as already given. When the householder moves through the day, visiting the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours, he represents the ever-active imagination, teaching you that realization is never late in your inner timepiece. The complaint of the first workers is your habit of measuring results by another's clock; yet the master's reply, 'Is thine eye evil, because I am good?' reveals that goodness is the nature of your own consciousness. Therefore, the last shall be first: not by changing external wages but by shifting what you accept as true in your mind. Embrace this gift of grace and trust that the entire vineyard is alive within you, already paid and ready to bloom as your present experience.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Sit quietly, hold a penny in your hand in imagination, and repeat, 'This is mine now,' until you feel the fullness of your outcome as already true in consciousness. Let that feeling linger for a minute.