I meet with a neighbor of mine every week to read and discuss the Bible. He is reading the Bible for the first time, and every time we meet, he discovers new things about God, Jesus, the Bible and about himself.
It’s so fun to watch the proverbial lights go on and all the “ah-ha” moments he experiences. But just as rewarding are the discoveries I make.
Even though I’ve read, studied, and taught what we study each week, I, too, find new insights. The word of God is living and active, and it speaks to us no matter where we are in our spiritual journey.
Recently, we were studying just one verse. It was Matthew 7:12 — So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
It is known as the Golden Rule. It shows up in the negative form in ancient Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism in some form of “Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.”
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Jesus’ teaching is in the positive. It requires action; thus, the word “do.” We are to do or act toward others in ways we would want to be treated.
But this time, I noticed a few more details. Jesus started by saying, “In everything …” Every single conversation. Every encounter with someone. Every reaction. Every action. This response is to be our guiding principle for all of life.
Then I noticed how Jesus concluded this simple one verse teaching. He said that it “sums up the Law and Prophets.” That is the same conclusion he made in Matthew 23:37-40 when Jesus said we are to love God and love others, and he concluded by saying: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
All the Old Testament laws and teaching point to love. And the Golden Rule is all about love and gives us a great definition of what love is. The way of Jesus is the way of love. We have to get this right; we have to practice the way of love and treat others as we want to be treated.
Imagine in this season of COVID-19, racial tension, and political polarization, if every single human would actually live by the Golden Rule and treat others the way we would want to be treated. Imagine how amazing marriages and family life would be if we practiced treating others how we want others to respond to us. Imagine if every social media post was guided by this principle. Imagine!
It’s so simple. It’s so profound. What if we practiced this today with every person we meet? What if every encounter, every day, we lived this principle out? What a change would happen in our homes. What a transformation in our marriages. What a difference we would make where we work or hang out. Today, in everything, do to others as you would have them to do you.
Glen Elliott
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