Neville Goddard One Greater Than John

28 May Neville Goddard Lectures: “One Greater Than John”

Tonight’s subject is “One Greater Than John.” I think you will find this a most practical approach to this teaching.

When we open the Bible we think it is just a normal book. May I tell you, it is not; it is divine history and all the characters in scripture represent states of consciousness, from Adam to Jesus, every one. They’re not individuals as you and I are; they’re simply representatives of these states of awareness. And the very last before the page turns into an entirely new age is called John.

And so we are told in the earliest of the gospels, which is Mark: “After John was arrested, Jesus came preaching the gospel of God” (John 1:14). After John was arrested then he appears preaching the gospel of God. What is this story trying to tell us?

So here, let me share with you my experience. I didn’t know it either, but I’ll tell you how this thing works. John, we are told, is the very last of the great prophets. As we’re told, “Of those born of women, none is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom is greater than he” (Mat.11:11).

None greater than John in this world, yet the least in the kingdom is greater than he. And John came not eating or drinking. If you take that on this level, that’s nonsense, because the body could not survive. Another gospel states it, “He came neither eating bread nor drinking wine.” That tries in some way to, well, explain what he did not eat or drink.

Well, there’s no statement in the law of Moses against eating bread or drinking wine – unless you are one of the Nazarenes and it’s true as to wine, but certainly not eating bread. The last supper was the eating of bread and the drinking of wine. But he came, neither eating bread (if you want to take it certainly not eating bread).

The last supper was the eating of bread and the drinking of wine. But he came, neither eating bread (if you want to take it that way) nor drinking wine.

But the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they called him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But we think, this night, of one greater than John, who was the greatest in this world, yet not equal to the least in the world called the kingdom of heaven.

Now these are only states of consciousness through which every man passes. If you are not now in the state of John, may I tell you, you’re going to be some time in the state of John; if not now in this present little environment, when the wheel turns and it returns, you will be in that state.

Everyone passes through the state of John before he comes into the state of Jesus Christ. Now, what is the state of John? We come into this world . . . now let me share with you my own personal experience.

I was born in a very limited environment, small little island in the West Indies called Barbados. My father ran a little grocery store, but it was a general store, not only groceries but meat, fish, fowl, liquor, wine. I mean, it supplied everything for the table.

I was raised in that environment where it seemed the most normal, natural thing in this world to eat anything that was placed on the table, and so I did. I left Barbados at the age of seventeen and came to America, believing as I did everything placed before me that was edible was right.

And then, I fell into a state, the state called John. John came not eating or drinking. And then I fell into the state where I gave up all the things that I did normally as a boy, right through until I was seventeen years old. I fell into the state at the age of twenty, a little after twenty, say, twentyone, where I would not eat any meat, any fish, fowl, not even eggs.

Naturally, in those days I didn’t drink so that was not giving up wine, but that couldn’t cross my lips. I did violence to my own appetites, because as a child, as a boy, I indulged in everything that my father placed before me. And suddenly I gave it all up and for seven years I was a strict vegetarian, teetotaler, celibate.

John represents that state in man’s ongoing when he does violence to his appetite. And yet life is nothing more than the appeasement of hunger.