Neville Goddard on Matthew 22:18-21 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 22 in context

Scripture Focus

18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Matthew 22:18-21

Biblical Context

Jesus points to two authorities: the earthly tribute and the divine allegiance. The coin bears Caesar's image, while the true self is God's.

Neville's Inner Vision

All the scene before you is not a history lesson but a rehearsal of your own consciousness. Caesar is the outward role you play in the dream of life, while God is the I AM within, the ever-present actuality you are now. When Jesus asks whose image is on the coin, he is directing you to notice the one who truly possesses the outer world and the one who governs the inner world. The penny bears Caesar's inscription, yet your awareness is the divine image bearing the continual superscription of God. Therefore, render unto Caesar the things that belong to the outer activity, and render unto God the things that are God's, your essential nature. Realize that both are states of consciousness; you do not abandon one for the other, but align both by the recognition that you are the I AM behind every image. The moment you assume the God-state, the outer forms adjust to reflect that inner reality; the law is not imposed from without, it is awakened from within through imagination.

Practice This Now

Practice: close your eyes, assume the I AM as your permanent state. While you attend to a duty or payment, revise it in your mind as a movement within your inner God-state and feel it real.