Neville Goddard on Matthew 8:21-22 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Matthew 8 in context

Scripture Focus

21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Matthew 8:21-22

Biblical Context

A disciple asks to bury his father before following Jesus, but Jesus insists that the call to follow takes precedence over traditional duties and worldly obligations.

Neville's Inner Vision

In this passage, the inner call to follow the I AM overrides the weight of outward duties. The push to 'bury the father' symbolizes clinging to a past self—old fears, conditions, and stories that keep you tethered to appearances. Jesus speaks as the living I AM within you, saying, 'Follow me now,' and granting permission for the dead to bury their dead. Neville teaches that you are a state of consciousness; when you align with the inner vision, you dissolve attachment to future conditions and act from the present awareness. By choosing to follow the inner impulse, you release the power of the old life without denying relationships. The first act of faith is interior: you imagine and feel yourself already on the path, trusting that your true nature is guiding you. The discipline is to let the inner call govern your actions, letting external concerns fall away as the I AM asserts its primacy in consciousness.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: In the next moment, close your eyes, silently declare, 'I am following the inner call now,' and feel yourself stepping onto the path you already are.