Neville Goddard on Matthew 4:12-13 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 4 in context

Scripture Focus

12Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

13And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

Matthew 4:12-13

Biblical Context

Jesus, hearing John’s imprisonment, departs Nazareth and makes Galilee his base, settling in Capernaum by the sea.

Neville's Inner Vision

Jesus’ movement is not a geographical accident but a shift of consciousness. When John is cast into prison, the mind he represents—old beliefs caught in limitation—signals that a new state of awareness must be chosen. Jesus does not flee from discomfort; he steps into Galilee, the region that symbolically carries light and promise. Leaving Nazareth is leaving a cramped identity and the familiar tomb of small expectations. Capernaum, on the sea, becomes the mind's base where the 'world of appearances' can reflect the truth that I AM is the light that rules. The borders of Zebulun and Naphtali remind us that the northern light of prophecy is now streaming through the present moment; the inner geography determines what is seen outside. The kingdom of God is not a distant place but a condition one assumes in consciousness, and Matthew records that the move precedes the public witness: the inner setting precedes outward ministry.

Practice This Now

Act: Close your eyes and assume you now inhabit a Galilee inside—an inner base of awareness by the sea of life. Feel the presence of God as I AM in you, and dwell there for a minute, allowing the sense of the Kingdom to rise as your felt reality.