to do or not to do?
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12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
”12
This “golden rule” pre-dated Jesus in the negative form.
In the negative form, it reads something like this: what you don’t want other people to do to you, then don’t do to them. That's not hard to understand. If you don’t want other people to punch you on the nose, don’t punch them on the nose. If you don’t want other people to steal your stuff, don’t steal their stuff. We can even say that if you don’t want other people to kill you, don’t go and kill others.
All valid and good advice!
This teaching is found in Jewish literature, in classical literature, and even in Chinese literature. For example, the well-known Jewish rabbi, Hillel, said, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, that is the whole Torah, while the rest is commentary.’ In the apocryphal book of Tobit, we find the statement, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor’ (). Isocrates, a Greek orator and teacher said, ‘Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you.’ Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher, is credited with having said, ‘What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.’
others: Do not impose on [do to / treat] others what you do not wish for yourself.
Jesus just taught a very specific example of that:
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
You don’t want others to judge you, so don’t judge them.
But! Not to do a thing is not the same thing as doing something. There’s a world of difference.
“Doing not” to others isn’t the Fulfillment or the fullness of God’s law that Jesus promised to bring. “Doing not” is not the summation of God’s law.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Fulfillment of God’s law is found in positive Action rather than Inaction.
Fulfillment of God’s law is found in Action rather than Inaction.
DO unto others Jesus tells us. And that’s actually a significantly different calling.
Jesus incarnated into and upside down world governed by upside down thinking and he sets things right side up!
Jesus takes our upside down thinking and sets it right side up!
We say: if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all...
We say: if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all...
Jesus says, if you can’t say anything nice, ask GOD, who supplies us abundantly from his flowing river of life, and Light and Love. Seek his ways, knock at his door. Reflect his Glory.
Matthew 22:37
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-39
The first commandment sets the context. The second sets our action. As followers of Christ we have a higher calling than not doing things to others we don’t want done to us. We are called to love others as ourselves and then to act as Jesus would act; to do what Jesus would do.
Matthew 7:12
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Within the Kingdom of Heaven, where the Love of God radiates, the will of God is made manifest, and the name of Jesus invoked for Good:
Treat people the same way you want to be treated; do for them what you would have them do for you.
Simple. Profound. Spirit-filled.
DOING/Acting: This isn’t an insignificant point to make. Passive discipleship doesn’t have a place in God’s kingdom. Jesus doesn’t teach us to play it safe.
Three parables (at least) told later by Jesus make that clear:
First, consider the parable of the talents found in Mt. Ch 25. It begins in v 14. But look at the last verse of this parable. Verse 30.
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The servant who is punished is the one who did nothing with the talent committed to him. He just buried it in the ground and did nothing with it. That was his crime. So, we can take from this teaching that in God’s kingdom, it is not enough to not do something. We must do good.
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32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
Matthew 25:4
We read that the sheep and the goats are separated out, and that it is the goats who are being punished. Why are they punished? Because they did a lot of bad things? Not at all. They were punished because they did not do what they should have done. ‘When I was in prison,’ Jesus says, ‘you did not visit me. When I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me nothing to drink. When I was cold, you gave me nothing to wear. Depart from Me, you evildoers.’
This is surprising, isn’t it? The goats are punished because they did not do anything when somebody was in need. Again, that was their crime.
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The rich man’s fault was that he did nothing. When Lazarus was outside his door, asking for food, he gave him nothing to eat. He ignored Lazarus and just left him outside the gate to die. He committed a sin by doing nothing when somebody desperately needed his help.
So then let’s look at the application of this positive command beginning with figuring out what it doesn’t teach us:
First: The golden rule does not teach that we are to do to others what we would like them to do to us in order that they will do it to us. For example, I buy you an ice cream. So you will owe me an ice cream later. Jesus speaks of an unconditional love. When we do good to others, we expect nothing in return.
Second: the golden rule does not teach that we are to treat others the way they treat us, i.e., good for good, and evil for evil. You punch me on the nose; I punch you on the nose. I don’t bother you; you don’t bother me. That is the way of the world. The way of Christ is not to do to others as they do to us. We should not treat others the way they treat us.
Third: the golden rule does not teach that we are to treat others the way they think they should be treated. Of course, everybody wants to be well treated, and treated according to their own definition of what that means. However, As Kingdom citizens, we treat other people on the basis of God’s Love and Righteousness. And sometimes, people might not like the way you deal with them, even though what you do is born out of love and justice. The Golden rule is not a call to be a people pleaser. Love can sometimes be tough.
And fourth: the golden rule does not teach that we are to treat others the way we think they should be treated. What do we mean by that? You see, we all have the tendency of having a more favorable opinion of ourselves than we do of others. And therefore, because of this inconsistency in being totally objective, it is not a good idea to treat other people on the basis of how we think they should be treated.
The best and perfect way is summarized in the golden rule: we should treat others the way we want them to treat us. We are to do to others as we would like to have done to ourselves if we were placed in their situation or their condition. If you do that, you can never go wrong.
The golden rule is a very practical statement of God’s love. God has done for us just as He wants us to do to Him. He has treated us as He wants us to treat Him and everyone else.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
romans 5
He loved us first because He desires that we would love him back. He took the initiative and does for us what He would like us to do for Him.
Truly, , the golden rule, reveals the heart of God. It’s a simple statement that shows what love really is and what life in Christ is really like. Its a heavenly song of praise and worship. And when we pick up this rhythm of Kingdom love and follow it through our Sundays and our Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and on through the whole week, we draw the world in around us to feel and to see the great Glory of God.
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Let’s stand and sing.
Thirdly, the golden rule does not teach that we are to treat others the way they think they should be treated. Of course, everybody wants to be well treated, and treated according to their own definition of what that means. As believers, we treat other people on the basis of love and righteousness. And sometimes, people might not like the way you deal with them, even though what you do is born out of love and justice. A Christian is not a people pleaser. Love, sometimes, can be tough.