Neville Goddard on Matthew 6:1-18 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 6 in context

Scripture Focus

1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:1-18

Biblical Context

Matthew 6:1-18 instructs that alms, prayer, and fasting should not be done to gain public praise. True reward comes from the Father who sees what is secret.

Neville's Inner Vision

Your inner life is the theater of these commands. When you give, pray, or fast to be seen, you are rehearsing from a social state of mind, and you contract reward to appearances. Yet the text declares the Father sees in secret and rewards openly; this is not a rule of externals but a description of how consciousness works. In Neville’s language, every act is a movement of your own awareness. To alms, imagine the feeling of generosity as a present-tense state you already inhabit, regardless of your neighbor’s gaze. To pray, withdraw into your inner closet and converse with your I AM as one who already possesses all you seek. To fast, wash the face of your attention and walk as one whose discipline is alignment with inner will, not a public show. If you align your inner acts with the truth that God is your own consciousness, the reward you desire manifests as your everyday experience.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and deliberately assume the state of unseen generosity and unseen prayer. Feel the reward as already present, then carry that inner mood into your next moment.