“His disciples said, Now you are talking openly and not saying anything in secret meaning. Now we see that you have knowledge of all things, and have no need for anyone to put questions to you; this makes us certain that you came from God.” — (John 16:29–30, BBE)
Just prior to this, Jesus had said:
“I have said these things to you in language which is not clear; but the time is coming when I will no longer say things to you in that way, but will make them clear to you.” (John 16:25, BBE)
And then he adds:
“The Father himself has love for you, because you have had love for me and have had faith that I came from God.” (John 16:27, BBE)
Why Did They Suddenly Understand?
This moment is often read as a sudden intellectual breakthrough. It is not that. It is a shift of position within consciousness.
Up to this point, the disciples relate to Jesus as something external — a teacher to listen to, question, and interpret. Because Jesus is perceived outwardly, his teaching appears symbolic, indirect, and difficult to stabilise.
In Neville Goddard’s teaching, Jesus symbolises imagination used rightly — not as an object to study, but as a power to embody. When imagination is treated as something outside the self, it must speak in parable. When it is recognised as the self in action, it speaks plainly.
The disciples’ declaration — “Now we see that you have knowledge of all things” — does not mean Jesus has suddenly become wiser. It means they have stopped questioning from the position of separation. Observation has given way to identification.
It is not that Jesus begins to speak differently. It is that they are no longer listening from outside the state.
From Figurative Speech to Embodiment
When Jesus says he has spoken in figures of speech, he is describing the stage where understanding exists without embodiment. Symbol is necessary when the law is practised as an idea rather than lived as identity.
The time coming when he will speak plainly is not a future lesson. It is the moment assumption is entered. Plain speech is not explanation — it is experience.
This is why the disciples say they no longer need to question him. Questioning belongs to observation. Embodiment ends the need to ask.
The Apostles as Aspects of Mind
The apostles symbolise distinct faculties of the mind. Each represents a capacity that either supports or resists a chosen assumption.
When a new state is assumed, these faculties must come into agreement. Inner conflict appears as doubt, questioning, and instability. Inner agreement appears as clarity and certainty.
In this passage, the disciples’ unified response signals that the mind has aligned behind the assumed state. The observing self and the embodied self are no longer in contention.
Parables as a Stage of Understanding
Parables are not disguises meant to hide truth. They arise naturally when consciousness has not yet absorbed what it is hearing.
When imagination is still perceived as external, teaching arrives in story. When imagination is recognised as the operating power of the self, story gives way to direct knowing.
It is not that the teaching changes. The position of the hearer changes.
Plain Speech as Lived Certainty
When Jesus speaks plainly, it does not mean doctrine has become simpler. It means the state has been entered.
At this point, the disciples are no longer watching imagination work. They are standing as it. The word is no longer being heard — it is walking.
The Power of “I AM” Recognised
Neville taught that “I AM” is God — the awareness of being that precedes every assumption. When this is understood intellectually, it produces curiosity. When it is lived, it produces certainty.
To believe that Jesus came from God is not to believe in an external descent. It is to recognise that imagination proceeds from the sense of being itself.
This passage records the moment when questioning ceases, not because answers are given, but because the source has been recognised within.
Bible Verse Analysis | Numbers: Twelve | Parable Series | Word of God Series