When Disciples Unfollow – A Neville Goddard Take on John 6:65–66

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
— John 6:65–66 (KJV)

From a Neville Goddard perspective, Jesus represents the awakened imagination—that part of you which knows it is the creative power of God. The “Father” is your deeper self, the formless, unconditioned I AM that quickens that realisation from within.

And this passage? It’s one of those moments where the crowd goes quiet, someone coughs awkwardly, and then half the group leaves.

The Inner Unfollow

“No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”

Neville would say this means you can’t truly accept that your imagination is God unless it has been stirred from the depths of your own being. It’s not something that can be forced or taught from the outside. It must be revealed inwardly—by your own I AM.

Without that revelation, the teaching sounds extreme, even offensive. And so, as the verse says, “many of his disciples went back”. That’s what happens when imagination steps up and says: “Actually, I’m God.” Not everyone’s ready for that promotion.

Judah and Judas: The Moment of Recognition

Let’s talk Judah. The same Judah who slept with Tamar thinking she was a harlot, then tried to have her burned when she turned up pregnant. Classic hypocrisy—until Tamar reveals she’s pregnant by him.

In that moment, Judah says:

“She is more righteous than I.”
(Genesis 38:26)

This isn’t just a dramatic plot twist. In Neville’s symbolic interpretation, Tamar is the imaginative act—bold, persistent, and veiled. Judah represents the outer man, the one who didn’t recognise her at first. But when he says she is more righteous, he is admitting that imagination (Tamar) is the true creative force—more just, more right, more aligned with divine law than the old self.

That’s the inner shift Neville spoke of: when you realise it’s not your effort, your morality, or your external religion—it’s imagination, veiled and persistent, that brings forth life.

Now enter Judas.

He too recognises Jesus—that is, recognises imagination as God—but recoils. Judas symbolises that part of us that sees the power but cannot handle the implications. He hands over imagination to be crucified—to be fixed in consciousness—triggering a transformation that, though painful, is essential.

So we have:

• Judah, who recognises imagination as righteous and accepts it.

• Judas, who recognises it and gives it up as the operant power.

Both see the truth and both acknowledge it. They serve the same purpose: moving the self towards full recognition of the creative power within.

Not Everyone’s Ready

So when many disciples “walked no more with him,” they represent the thoughts, beliefs, and identities that were never going to survive the truth that imagination is Lord. It’s too confronting. Too demanding. Too… you.

But those who stay?
They’re the ones ready to praise the inner Tamar, to stand by the imaginative act, no matter how veiled or scandalous it might appear.