Neville Goddard on Matthew 21:28-31 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 21 in context

Scripture Focus

28But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

29He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Matthew 21:28-31

Biblical Context

Two sons illustrate inner responses to a call: one resists at first but later goes; the other agrees yet never acts. True obedience, in Neville's view, arises from a repentant mind that aligns feeling with the inner will, not merely words.

Neville's Inner Vision

Consider the two sons as inner states of your own consciousness. The father’s request to work in the vineyard is a call to live from your divine idea—to act from the I AM that you truly are. The first son answers, 'I will not,' signaling a stubborn ego resisting the call; yet afterward he repents and goes, which signals the turning of the mind toward the truth. The second son says, 'I go, sir,' but remains inert, representing outward compliance without the inner conviction. Jesus names the kingdom as open to the repentant—the inner turning that aligns feeling, belief, and action. In Neville’s world, the kingdom is here when you concede that you are not separate from the will that calls you; you are the I AM that frames the vineyard, and its work is what you imagine and thereby become. The true test is not what you say but what you allow your inner state to do. When you imagine the end as already accomplished and feel it real, the second posture dissolves, and the first posture, born of repentance, becomes your living fact.

Practice This Now

Practice: Sit quietly, assume the I AM state, and declare, 'I am willing to go and do the work now,' while feeling already in motion and fully present in the outcome.