The Unjust Steward: Neville Goddard’s Parable Interpretation

The Biblical Parable

A source-grounded study of Neville Goddard’s psychological interpretation of The Unjust Steward, consolidated from 4 original lectures and books.

And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Neville’s Interpretation

Neville interprets the parable of the unjust steward as a teaching on the 'law of falsification of the record' or revision. The steward, by altering the debts, demonstrates the power of changing the 'facts' (the record) to secure a desired future. The 'pig' in this context is uniquely identified by Neville as a symbol of Christ, representing the creative power within.

— Summary

The parable is a metaphysical teaching about the power of revision. The 'unjust steward' represents the human imagination, which has the power to 'falsify' or revise the 'records' (memories and perceptions) of reality. The 'master' commends this action because it demonstrates the wise use of creative power to change undesirable states. To 'eat the body and drink the blood' means to accept and apply this truth of revision.

— The Cup Of Experience

Neville interprets this parable as a teaching on the 'permissible lie' or 'falsifying the records.' The steward's wisdom lies in his ability to change the 'facts' (the debts) to secure his future. This is an instruction for man to use his imagination to revise his current reality, which is based on 'fiction' anyway, to create a desired future.

— There Is No Fiction

Neville interprets the unjust steward's actions—mentally falsifying the facts (altering the debt records)—as a divinely approved method for man to change his reality. The 'falsehood' is an imaginal alteration of experience, which, when done in imagination, destroys the causes of evil and leads to desired outcomes, proving one's 'deserving of confidence' in the power of imagination.

— The Law And The Promise

Characters as States

• Unjust Steward: Represents the individual consciousness, capable of intelligently manipulating the 'records' (beliefs, assumptions) of reality.

• Lord's Debtors: Represent the various aspects of one's life or external circumstances that can be 'revised' or influenced by the conscious mind.

• Pig: Symbolizes Christ, the creative power of imagination, which is often overlooked or deemed 'unclean' by conventional understanding but is the true source of creation.

• Unjust Steward: The human imagination, capable of revising the 'records' of reality.

• Master: The higher self, or God, who commends the wise use of imagination.

• Debtors: The various circumstances or individuals in one's world, whose 'records' (states) can be changed.

• Record: One's memory and perception of events and people.

• Unjust Steward: The human imagination, which is Jesus Christ, responsible for managing one's reality.

• Master: The current state of consciousness or the 'facts' of life as recorded by memory.

• Debtors: Aspects of one's life or circumstances that are currently in an undesirable state (e.g., lack, illness).

• Unjust Steward: Represents the individual who wisely uses their imagination to alter undesirable facts or past events.

• Master: Represents the higher self or God, who commends the 'unjust' but wise action of revision.

Practical Meaning

• The parable teaches the technique of 'falsifying the record' or revision. If current facts are undesirable, one should mentally rewrite them to align with the desired outcome, just as the steward altered the bills. This conscious imaginative act creates a new reality.
• Actively practice revision by changing one's memory of past events or current undesirable situations, especially concerning others. This conscious 'falsification' of the record in imagination leads to a change in the external reality.
• This parable provides a direct technique: 'falsify the record' of your current reality by imagining the desired outcome as already true. For example, if memory says you have little money, imagine a large sum. If a friend is ill, imagine them well. This is a 'permissible lie' because the world is fundamentally imaginal.
• The parable teaches the technique of 'revision': mentally altering past or present undesirable facts in one's imagination to create a more favorable reality. This 'mental falsification' is a powerful tool for self-transformation and manifesting desired outcomes.

Related Themes

• Law of Falsification
• Revision
• Imagination
• Christ Symbolism
• Unjust Steward
• Memory
• Salvation
• Metaphysical meaning
• Unjust steward
• Permissible lies
• Falsifying records
• Imagination creates reality

Complete Sources

• Summary
• The Cup Of Experience
• There Is No Fiction
• The Law And The Promise