Neville Goddard on Matthew 20:20-23 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 20 in context

Scripture Focus

20Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

23And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Matthew 20:20-23

Biblical Context

A mother asks Jesus for honored seats for her sons in his kingdom; Jesus says such external requests miss the point and true positions come from the Father as one embraces an inner cup and baptism of service.

Neville's Inner Vision

The passage is a map of consciousness, not a historical seating plan. The mother’s plea for visible honor signifies a craving for recognition in the world of form. Jesus reframes greatness as alignment with the Father within, asking if you are willing to drink the cup and be baptized with the baptism of transformation. When you answer in faith, you are already tasting the inner cup by the power of imagination, for imagination is the instrument through which you enter the Kingdom. The right and left seats symbolize inner states of consciousness prepared by the Father for those who embody his will, not a literal assignment. The Father within grants the seat to those whose life is in harmony with divine intention. Thus the scene teaches that true greatness is discovered by your I AM, not conferred by others, and that you stand already in the Kingdom whenever you perceive and feel that reality within your own consciousness.

Practice This Now

Assume the feeling that you are seated in the Kingdom now. Revise any longing for external honors and feel that your rightful place is prepared by the Father within you.