Neville Goddard on Matthew 4:1-11 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 4 in context

Scripture Focus

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Matthew 4:1-11

Biblical Context

Matthew 4:1-11 portrays Jesus entering the wilderness by the Spirit, facing temptation, and overcoming it through obedience to the word of God, embodying true worship.

Neville's Inner Vision

Picture this as a drama of your own consciousness. The wilderness is not a remote place but a state of awareness pressed by the sense of separation. The tempter is the voice insisting on immediate satisfaction, the urge to turn stones into bread, to prove yourself by outward power. When the Spirit guides you into that moment, you are shown how fasting and stillness expose what you truly rely on. Each “it is written” is not history but a present decision of your I AM. The first reply—“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”—reaffirms that life flows from the living word in you, not appetite. The next temptations—pinnacle proof, kingdoms, worship—mirror the mind’s lure to security, fame, or control through external signs. Yet you say, Get thee hence, Satan, for you worship the Lord your God alone. In this inner drama, the subtle forces depart and your angels—your higher self—minister to you as you stand firm in that one truth within the I AM.

Practice This Now

Assume the state of the I AM now; feel that you are sustained by the word that proceeds from God; when the impulse to 'make bread' or prove yourself arises, revise it by declaring, 'I live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'