Bulletin Articles
“The Golden Rule”
Categories: Iron sharpens iron“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 7.12)
Serving as the conclusion to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, this surprisingly straightforward summary of God’s commandments, both under the Law of Moses and in our new covenant with Christ, has been called “the golden rule” since at least the 17th century. Jesus here makes it explicit that this principle underpins the rest of the Law—at least, the portions that dealt with the Israelites’ behavior toward others. We could appeal instead to another foundational principle for their conduct toward God: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (De 6.5) Since this golden rule is just a restating of Leviticus 19.18, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” we can say that between the golden rule and the commandment to love God, everything is covered—as Jesus himself said, in Matthew 22.40.
And yet, you may have noticed that the celebrated golden rule is usually worded a little differently: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It doesn’t appear in exactly those words, in any of the major translations of the Bible; but it is an accurate retelling of what Jesus said? Yes; however, the emphasis strikes us differently, when we stop to consider both versions; and this forms a good exercise for us to explore the facets of what is, by all appearance, a very simple and straightforward rule from the mouth of God’s own Son.
Do unto others…
When we read these words first, it gets us thinking about what, exactly, we are doing to other people. It’s as if our conscience has stumbled upon a story that’s already in progress, and now it must judge our present behavior. What exactly am I doing?
Considering the rule from this angle, we ask ourselves, would I want this person to treat me as I am currently treating him? That’s a good question to ask! We’re supposed to “examine” and “test” ourselves (2Co 13.5), and a quick confirmation of this sort can confirm to us that we are pleasing God, when we affirm that we would, indeed, appreciate being on the receiving end of our own behavior.
Of course, the answer isn’t always affirmative! We must also consider the negative. If we discover that our behavior is out of line, we must cease and desist! This is the prohibitive side of the rule, and is neatly summed up in the words every parent has spoken to his child, “would you like it if he did that to you? Then don’t do it to him!”
Of course, these two ways of looking at the rule amount to the same thing; but we must consider both the positive and negative application of the rule, in order to have the whole picture, and abide by Jesus’ word. Already, this twofold approach is helpful; but we still have to consider the un-simplified version of the rule, as Jesus himself stated it.
As you would have them do unto you…
Jesus didn’t begin with a consideration of our own deeds; rather, he first pointed us to consider the actions of others. This isn’t supposed to be merely a way to sort our actions into those which we ought to stifle, and those we may continue. The golden rule does tell us to stop and consider what we’re already doing; but it also tells us to weigh our impulses, and make a decision before we act.
Perhaps someone mistreats you, saying hurtful things to you—or worse, about you. Perhaps you’ve been the victim of theft, or just have a cantankerous neighbor who makes life difficult. Your natural impulse is to choose a course of action that’s likely to make that person stop behaving in this way. Sometimes that means you want to hide and just hope the problem goes away; it rarely does. Next, you’re inclined to find a way to hurt whoever is hurting you. Perhaps this involves direct confrontation; or perhaps it instead comes in the form of manipulation behind the scenes. You could try give the sinner an equal dose of his own medicine; or you could deliberately escalate the conflict to make sure he will never, ever do something to hurt you again. Unless, of course, he does; and what comes, next? Rather than following these lower impulses, you should stop and consider the golden rule—regardless of how you actually are being treated, do you want to be treated that way? If not, then you shouldn’t do it to someone else—even someone who has harmed you. “Do not repay evil for evil” (1Pe 3.9).
But we still haven’t arrived at the highest application of Jesus’ instruction. The golden rule isn’t just supposed to keep you from harming others, or else provide you with positive reinforcement when you treat them well. It’s supposed to plant seeds of love, that will sprout and blossom into deeds you otherwise would not have done. What sort of actions did Jesus tell you to take? He first told you to contemplate “whatever you wish that others would do to you,” even when they don’t do it. Perhaps we should say, especially when they don’t. This is what it means to love your neighbor.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
(Matthew 5.44-46)
Jeremy Nettles
