The above interview selection comes from an interview conducted in September 1980 by David Sheff. A transcript of the full interview can be found at the following set of links:
There, in addition to discussion that had to do with aspects of his own and Yoko's particular journeys through this life, John Lennon expresses some thoughts about the nature of the world's ancient wisdom.
Towards the end of the interview, he says:
Well, you make your own dream. That's the Beatles' story, isn't it? That's Yoko's story. That's what I'm saying now.
Produce your own dream. If you want to save Peru, go and save Peru. It's quite possible to do anything, but not to put it on leaders and parking meters. Don't expect Carter or Reagan or John Lennon or Bob Dylan or Jesus Christ to come and do it for you. You have to do it yourself. That's what the great masters and mistresses have been saying ever since time began. They can point the way, leave signposts and little instructions in various books that are now called holy and worshiped for the cover of the book and not what it says, but the instructions are all there for all to see, have always been and always will be. There's nothing new under the sun. All roads lead to Rome. And people cannot provide it for you. I can't wake you up. You can wake you up. I can't cure you. You can cure you.
In other words, it appears that in this segment of the interview, John Lennon is expressing the view that the ancient scriptures are actually all about you, and that they have been either mistakenly or intentionally misinterpreted for their "cover story" -- externalized, so to speak, wrongly valued for the "outer layer" rather than for what is actually the message ("what it says"). He is also expressing the view that in fact their message is that you have the power to "wake you up" -- and that looking for an external figure to do that for you is futile.
However he and Yoko achieved this gnosis, I believe that in these words John Lennon very directly expresses a correct understanding of the world's ancient wisdom, an interpretation which I believe is actually supported by an overwhelming amount of evidence which can be demonstrated using examples from the ancient myths and sacred stories of just about every culture on our planet. See for example many of the discussions linked on this page, and discussed in videos I've posted such as here, here, and here, as well as numerous posts exploring the idea of "Two Visions," some of which are linked here.
I also believe that this understanding (that the ancient stories are not about something or someone external who saves or empowers us, but rather about the divinity contained in each and every person we encounter in this incarnate life, and about our own growth and "waking up") corresponds very clearly to the belief in the dignity and value of all human beings, and therefore to the principle of non-violence -- a philosophy John Lennon mentions elsewhere in that interview.
This vision also clearly harmonizes very well with the idea that people themselves can effect real and positive change in the world -- that they don't need to and (in fact) should not expect some external figure to do it for them. And this message was clearly expressed in his music and in his life.