Recording 160B is one of several used as source material for Chapter 11, “I Say Unto You,” in The Thunder of Silence. This recording is no longer available on this site, but if you subscribe to the Joel Goldsmith Streaming Service, you can listen to it there. To purchase this recording and/or the transcript from The Infinite Way Office, click/tap here.
Interesting Story about this Class
In The Spiritual Journey of Joel S. Goldsmith, Lorraine Sinkler’s biography of Joel, she quotes Joel telling about his experience of this class:
“There was a night in Chicago when I was so empty that… I begged those who were close to me to go down and make an excuse so that I would not have to go on the platform. … Nothing would come through. I was told to go down and just meditate, and if nothing came through, I would be excused.
“On the platform, all of a sudden the Voice inside of me said, ‘Fifth Chapter of Matthew, bottom of the page.’ I turned around and said, ‘No, it’s no use. I know what is there, and I don’t understand it.’ And the Voice came right back again, ‘Fifth Chapter of Matthew, bottom of the page.’
“’Well, all right, if You insist,’ I said under my breath. So I opened my little Bible and there I found, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you that ye resist not evil.’
“In that blinding flash, I caught the whole secret of the Sermon on the Mount. … That night, out of that barrenness, out of that emptiness, the Voice poured the message that I had really longed for for twenty-five years: the secret of the Sermon on the Mount.”
(The quotations come from Recording 408A, 1961 Laurelton Hotel Special Class, “From the Letter of Truth to Consciousness,” and 173B, 1956 Portland Closed Class, “He Hangeth the Earth on Nothing.”)
For the first half of the class, Joel answers questions, and then there is a noticeable shift as he agrees to follow direction from the Voice and begins to talk about the Sermon on the Mount. Be sure to listen for it as you hear the class.
To download or print these study suggestions, click/tap here.
These optional study suggestions will remain the same throughout the program, although from time to time, we will post additional recordings for further optional study.
Read Different Translations of The Sermon on the Mount
Joel has said that it can be helpful to read several different translations of any Bible text because they can elicit new insights for you. On the Introduction page for this study program, we quote Joel on this topic and provide information about ways to access multiple Bible translations.
Write Your Own Version
As you study the Sermon on the Mount, you might enjoy paraphrasing the Bible text in your own words, keeping your interpretations and notes in a special journal. One way to approach this activity is to take one section of the Sermon, read and contemplate it, and then listen in receptivity, asking for light and wisdom. Then write what comes to you. As you write, often you will find that more and more insight comes to you.
As we suggested for an earlier study program, if writing is not something you enjoy, you can work in a different medium, capturing your interpretations in paintings or drawings, sculpture, poetry, music, or any art form.
Practice the Teachings
Each week, you might choose one thing from the Sermon and focus on practicing that for the entire week. It might be one of the beatitudes, or some other instruction given by Jesus, such as “judge not” or “pray for your enemies” or “take no thought.” Contemplate your selection to understand what it means. What would it look like to practice it in your own life? Then watch yourself throughout the day and see how you do. If you go off the beam, what pulled you off? How did you (or could you) get back on track? Reminder cards placed around your home or workspace, or reminders kept on your smartphone can be very helpful with this type of practice.
Use the Electronic Search Tool
As you hear the recordings and read Part 3 of The Thunder of Silence, if you feel that you don’t quite understand something that Joel teaches, the electronic search tool can help clarify his meaning. You can search for the topic or term you want to understand better and find many different places where Joel addresses that topic or term. As you read the excerpts provided by the search tool, you will gain a clearer understanding. To access the search tool and the instructions for using it, click/tap here.
Additional Reading
Seek Ye First
The title of Joel’s book Seek Ye First comes from the passage in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
In the book, Joel elaborates on the meaning of that passage and relates it directly to The Infinite Way principles. You might enjoy reading the book, or some excerpts from it, in connection with this study program.
The Sermon on the Mount by Emmet Fox
Joel had high praise for Emmet Fox as a great mystic. So we are comfortable recommending the book The Sermon on the Mount by Emmet Fox. The book may be particularly helpful to those who do not have a deep knowledge of the Sermon, because Fox takes the reader passage by passage through the entire text, offering his enlightened interpretations and insights along the way.