Neville Goddard on Matthew 26:47-56 - 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.

51And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.

52Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

53Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

54But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

55In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.

56But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

Matthew 26:47-56

Biblical Context

Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss and a mob comes to seize him. Jesus is taken, a disciple strikes, and the moment moves toward the fulfillment of the prophets.

Neville's Inner Vision

This scene is the theater of consciousness. Judas is not a separate betrayer but a state of mind loyal to fear and need; the great multitude gathers the thoughts when you forget who you truly are. The kiss is identification with outward appearance—the sign by which you lay hold of the sense world. Jesus speaking in the inner drama is the I AM affirming that you are not defined by the outer scene. The one who draws the sword and strikes—your impulsive defenses—embody the idea that you must conquer by force; Jesus invitation to put up the sword is the reminder that violence and ego perish when faced with the deeper law. The question of praying to the Father and the promise of angels unfold as inner powers available to you when you meet life from the state of awareness. The line that all these things must happen shows that even painful events serve your inner destiny when consciousness remains aligned with truth. Thus the arrest dramatizes your obedience to the divine pattern within, and imagination is the I AM in action, turning incident into fulfilled prophecy inside you.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and center in I AM. Assume the feeling that you are the witness of all scenes, and declare inwardly that you are already whole, free, and faithful to your inner destiny. Then breathe into that conviction until it feels real.