Sermon on the Mount: Golden Rule

Sermon on the Mount – The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12

1. Introduction – This morning we come to another famous verse from the SM.

a. It seems like every other week we come to these seminal verses – verse that people who don’t even read the Bible seem to know.

1. A few weeks ago, we looked at ‘judge not so that you be not judged…” Another seminal verse in the SM we studied the Lord’s Prayer over the summer months – maybe the pinnacle of Jesus’ teaching here.

b. And today, we come to what might be the guiding ethic of the entire SM.

i. What is quite possibly the summary statement for all that we have looked at this year.

1. The verse is referred to as the golden rule…though Jesus doesn’t give it that title.

a. Ever wonder why it’s called the golden rule?

i. Well, one of the reasons is because the Roman Emperor Alexander Severus had this verse written in gold on a wall.

ii. This verse…this ethic, teaches us how to treat other people.

1. If you’ll recall a couple weeks ago, we looked at a very difficult verse about not throwing our pearls to pigs.

a. And we noted in that study that that is the exception.

i. That’s not how we normally treat people – but handing them over like that is a very serious thing.

2. Stop throwing your pearls to pigs…that’s the exception….

a. And what we’ll study today is the rule…the golden rule…that is to govern all of our relationships.

c. What is this ethic…this maxim…what does this verse say? Hear God’s Word – Matthew 7:12.

2. Therefore – Before we look at the actual command of this verse – what lies behind it and how to obey it…

a. There are a few structural issues that we need to look at first.

i. Let’s look at the very first word of the verse.

1. In some translations this word is missing – but it needs to be there so that we can get the full crux of what Jesus is teaching here.

a. The word in question is the word ‘so’…or some translations might say, “Therefore…”

b. As I’ve made note of a couple times already…the words ‘so’ or ‘therefore’ are concluding words.

i. Words that bring an argument or conversation to a close.

1. So – it’s a word that is often missed when quoting this verse…but it’s an important word.

a. So…what is Jesus concluding here?

c. Well, Jesus is concluding the previous of vv.1-11 of chapter 7.

i. Don’t be judgmental towards people, don’t throw pearls to pigs…ask, seek, knock…

1. And by way of summary, Jesus says – do to others as you would have them od to you.

a. However, there’s a much bigger conclusion that Jesus is drawing here…

i. Because with this verse Jesus is actually concluding the main teaching body of the SM.

1. Yes, there’s still more to be said in this sermon – but what Jesus wraps up with in 7:13-27 is more application…questions about how one responds to what they just heard in this sermon.

d. But here in 7:12 – Jesus is bringing the main teaching body of the SM to a close.

i. Here’s why I make this point – it’s the phrase at the back half of the verse…this is the Law and Prophets…

1. We’ve actually seen this phrase before in the SM…the law and prophets…

a. Way back in 5:17 – Jesus talks about not abolishing but fulfilling the Law and Prophets.

i. And this repeated phrase ‘law and prophets’ form a bracket around the main teaching section of the SM.

ii. Think about all that we’ve studied this year. 5:1-16…Jesus’ introduction to life in God’s kingdom.

1. 5:17-7:11 – Jesus teaching his disciples how to live and act.

a. How we are to interpret the law. How are righteousness is to surpass that of the religious elites.

i. How our righteous acts are to be done in secret, with God as our audience instead of showing off to our fellow humans.

1. Jesus taught his followers how to pray and what to pray.

b. Jesus taught his disciples about laying up treasures in heaven, having our gaze fixed towards heave…about serving God and our only mater.

i. Life in God’s kingdom is free from worry.

1. In God’s kingdom we are not judgmental…we deal with our own sins first and then we help others out of theirs…

2. Life in God’s kingdom is honest and realistic.

a. Life in God’s kingdom requires us to ask, seek and knock…knowing that God gives good things to his children.

i. All of that is included between the brackets of Law and Prophets in 5:17 and 7:12.

e. Having opened his teaching with a comment about fulfilling the law and prophets…here Jesus ends the main of this sermon by coming back and repeating this same phrase.

i. And by way of summary for the entire SM, Jesus says it can all be boiled down to this…do to others as you would have them do to you.

1. We’ll talk more about what Jesus means when he says “this sums up or this is the law and prophets” at the end of the sermon today.

3. The Command – Because now I want you to focus on the actual command of this verse.

a. The command is this…do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.

i. Or as the ESV says, whatever you wish others would do to you, do also to them.

1. Now, what we have to realize is that almost every religion or philosophy or culture has some version of this maxim.

a. But those commands all have one thing in common…and their common trait differs from what Jesus taught.

ii. Rabbi Hillel taught this – what is hateful to you – do not do to your fellow creatures. That is the whole Law, all else is commentary.

1. The OT Apocrypha says, “Do not do to anyone what you yourself would hate.”

a. The Stoic philosophers had almost and identical staying.

i. Confucius – a Chinese philosopher taught “Don’t do to others what you would not wish done to yourself.”

iii. Now, what do you notice about those sayings??? How does that differ from what Jesus taught?

1. Here’s how they differ?

b. All the maxims I just repeated from other religious or philosophies are all stated negatively…but Jesus’ statement is in the positive.

i. The negative form of this command would teach this behaviour…

1. If you don’t enjoy being robbed…don’t rob others.

a. If you don’t like being called a name…don’t call other people names.

i. If you don’t enjoy being hated, don’t hate others.

1. If you don’t care to be bit or smacked…don’t hit others.

ii. But Jesus doesn’t teach the negative and passive form of this command…he teaches the positive form of it.

1. And what we’ll see is that the positive form is far more searching.

a. Because the positive form teaches this…

i. If you enjoy being loved, love others. If you like receiving gifts from others – give gifts to others.

1. If you like being appreciate – then appreciate others.

c. Do you see the difference between the negative version taught by so many, and the positive version taught by Jesus?

i. The negative seems to be commanding passive inaction.

1. If you wouldn’t like it, don’t do it. The negative version of this command is permission to withdraw from the world.

a. If I don’t want something done to me…don’t do it to others…

i. It’s passive…not doing anything.

ii. But Jesus commands not passive inaction, but genuine and loving action towards others.

1. And the guiding ethic that governs life in God’s kingdom is doing to others as you would have them do to you.

a. There is action involved here…not passive withdrawal, but actively doing something to and for the benefit of someone else.

d. In modern English we might saying something like – put yourself in another person’s shoes.

i. This is actually a call to creativity – this isn’t a rigid rule…do this to others…do that to others…do the other thing to others…

1. But Jesus actually gives us autonomy here – freedom to act as creatively as we can think.

a. In our relationships with other people – we are not judgmental, or harsh, we don’t hate…but we have this ethical principle.

i. And this principle should…this question should rule all we do and say…

1. “How would I like to be treated in that situation?”

a. If I put myself in someone else’s shoes for a minute….how would I want to be treated? What would I want people to do for me?

i. If the roles were reversed…what would I hope others would be doing for me?

ii. We ask those questions and then we think creatively in order to help others.

ii. If I was sick…what would I want others to do for me?

1. If I was hurt, lonely, depressed, anxious or unable to cope with life…

a. If I was going through hardships or having issues with my children or spouse…

i. If I was going through _________________ insert any number of scenarios…

1. That’s the guiding principle, the rule of life – for life in God’s kingdom - We put ourselves in another person’s situation…and then we act accordingly.

e. However, even though this rule is a call to positive action and creativity…

i. The golden rule also assumes that Jesus’ followers know what is best for them…and when we know what is best for us…then we’ll be able to use that as the standard for doing to others as well.

1. Think about this…when you became a Christian – you experience what was truly best for you.

a. You experienced the Father’s love…so you in turn should exhibit that love – not only to your neighbour and family and friends, but also to your enemies.

i. When you came to Christ – you experienced God’s mercy – so you will in turn show mercy towards others.

2. And when you became a Christian – you experience the Father’s forgiveness – so in turn you will be a forgiving person.

a. Since we have experienced the supreme good that God has extended to us…love, mercy and forgiveness…so these virtues will be the guiding lights that govern our interactions with others.

4. Why – But there is one more question we have to answer.

a. We’ve looked at what this command says – do to others…

i. We’ve looked at how we are to obey this command – but putting ourselves in the shoes of another…

1. But now we have to answer the age-old and all-important question…why?

a. Why should we obey this rule? Why obey the golden rule?

i. And here’s the beautiful thing…Jesus has already answered this question.

b. Why? Because this golden rule is the Law and Prophets. Other translations say – this sums up the Law and Prophets or this is the essence of the Law and Prophets.

i. We do to others…not so they will reciprocate and give back to us what we want…not so that someday they’ll return to the favour…

1. But we do to others because such behaviour sums all that is taught in the Law and Prophets…that is…the OT.

a. Or to put it another way – such behaviour…doing to others…conforms to the requirements of the kingdom of God…the kingdom which is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets.

c. Now, of course – this rule doesn’t cover every aspect of the OT law – it doesn’t cover the sacrificial rituals…

i. But the golden rule expresses the spirit or essence of the Law…rather than the actual words.

1. This command draws out the principle taught elsewhere by Jesus – stated first in Leviticus 19:18 – Jesus calls it the second greatest commandment.

a. Love your neighbour as yourself…and how do we do that???

i. By doing to others as we would have them do to us.

d. So Jesus says love for neighbour…doing to others as we would have them do to us...sums up...is the essence of the entire OT…the Law and Prophets.

i. Sometimes as 21st century Christians we have a hard time understanding the law…a lot of it seems a little strange to us.

1. But Jesus lays it out pretty clearly for us…the Laws are about love….love for God first of all…love for others secondly.

a. And that love is displayed in doing to others as we would have them to do us.

e. So in the OT law is says that if you see your neighbour’s ox wandering away – you are to track it down and bring it back to him safely.

i. And when you see that ox wandering – and you bring it back…what’s the motivation?

1. “Oh, the law says I have to bring this animal back…so I guess I will…

a. No, the motivation isn’t the letter of the law…but the spirit behind.

i. The motivation is that you have such a deep and abiding love for your fellow human being that you willingly and gladly chase down his stray animal.

1. You are motivated not by the letter of the law…but the essence of it…the love that is at its very core.

ii. You bring a wandering ox back, not because the law says so…but you bring it back out of kindness, generosity, mercy, and love.

1. You do it because you think that’s what other people would if they saw my ox wandering off.

f. In our world today…we don’t see ox wandering off…but people are still in need.

i. So, what do we do in those situations…do we turn a blind eye and pretend we didn’t see anything?

1. Do you help…but out of sense of duty or obligation?

a. Or do we see our fellow human being in need…put ourselves in their shoes and ask what we would want others to do for us if we were in that situation?

i. And then act accordingly out of our love for our neighbour.

ii. It may require you to pay a bill for someone…or buy their groceries for them.

1. It may require you to cut their grass or shovel their driveway.

a. It may require long term help of walking someone through emotional or physical distress…

i. It may require you to sit in silence and have the ministry of presence through an ordeal.

1. There are no hard and fast rules…but creativity that is drawn out of our love for our fellow human being.

g. If the golden rule is our guiding ethic…then we will never be mean, but always generous.

i. We will never be harsh, but always understanding.

1. And if the golden rule is our guiding ethic…we will never be cruel, but always kind and loving towards other people.