Neville Goddard on Matthew 26:47-50 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 26 in context

Scripture Focus

47And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

49And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

50And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

Matthew 26:47-50

Biblical Context

Judas arrives with a crowd, identifies Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus is seized by the authorities. The passage is presented as a drama that points to inner processes rather than a mere historical betrayal.

Neville's Inner Vision

Judas is not a separate man, but a state of consciousness in you that seeks to force truth to appear by outward signs. The multitude with swords and staves are the habitual weapons of fear and habit, the external measures by which the mind tries to secure control. The kiss is not Judas’s betrayal of Jesus; it is the gesture by which your mind worships appearance and makes an outer mark the master. When Jesus says, 'Friend, wherefore art thou come?', he speaks to the I AM within who recognizes the dream and refuses to condemn the moment; he remains calm because awareness cannot be touched by force. The arrest is the outer event that reveals how your inner life speaks through symbols: fear may seize the body, but the consciousness that you are still unbroken. The true effect is your awakening into the realization that God is within and beyond all scenes. In this light, rehearse a revision: see Judas returning the kiss as recognition, and see Jesus accepting it as a greeting from your higher self. Let the scene dissolve into a quiet knowing that the kingdom of God is within.

Practice This Now

Imaginative_act: Sit quietly, breathe, and revise the scene by declaring, 'Judas and the crowd are only images of fear; I am the I AM and cannot be harmed by them.' Feel this inner truth as a steady warmth at the center of your chest.