Jesus Would Follow the Golden Rule
By Jeff Himmel
Near the end of His “sermon on the mount,” Jesus said, “Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). We often paraphrase this command as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We have come to call it “The Golden Rule.”
The point of this “golden rule” is not that we should do good to others in hopes that they’ll do good to us. In fact, Jesus teaches us to treat others well even when they treat us poorly. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?…If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?…” (Matthew 5:43-47).
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates this teaching. Read it in Luke 10:25-37. A lawyer asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus asked him what the Law said, he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said he had answered correctly. “But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” (verse 29).
The lawyer’s question implied that there must be some reasonable limits on love and mercy. Surely God didn’t want him to love everyone, did He?
Jesus responded with a parable. Most of us know the story: a traveling Jew was robbed, beaten, and left for dead; a Jewish priest came upon the man and passed him by; another religious leader came upon him and also passed by; but then a Samaritan came along and compassionately took care of the man.
What modern readers often ignore is that the hero of the story was a Samaritan. Most Jews despised Samaritans, viewing them as half-breeds and heretics. The average Jew probably wouldn’t have stopped to help an injured Samaritan; but in Jesus’ story, a Samaritan goes to great lengths to help an injured Jew. It was the last thing anyone would have expected.
Jesus closed by asking the lawyer which man in the story was “neighbor” to the wounded traveler. The answer was obvious: “The one who showed mercy on him.” By now the lesson was also obvious: “Go and do the same.”
The Samaritan’s act of kindness likely would have been neither returned nor appreciated. But he did it anyway. Jesus’ parable teaches us that the “neighbor” we must love includes people who may not love us.
Most of us have little trouble going out of our way to do some act of kindness if we know we’ll be rewarded for it, or if the receiver is a friend. But what if we think no one will notice (Matt. 6:1-4)? Better still, what if there’s a good chance we’ll be repaid with contempt? Will we still be so ready to act? That is Jesus’ challenge to us. Rather than doing good to others in hopes of receiving good from them, Christ asks me to put myself in their place. My motivation is not to be self-interest, but love.
The apostle Paul wrote, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law… Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfill¬ment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). The golden rule is not a substitute for God’s specific commands, but rather a motive for obeying them. What command has God given that is not seen more clearly when we view it as an expression of love for others?
The ultimate example of the “golden rule” in action is Jesus Himself. He sacrificed His sinless life to offer forgiveness of sins to all people. And He did so knowing that most of those people would never accept His offer. “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8).
By Jeff Himmel
Near the end of His “sermon on the mount,” Jesus said, “Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). We often paraphrase this command as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We have come to call it “The Golden Rule.”
The point of this “golden rule” is not that we should do good to others in hopes that they’ll do good to us. In fact, Jesus teaches us to treat others well even when they treat us poorly. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?…If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?…” (Matthew 5:43-47).
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates this teaching. Read it in Luke 10:25-37. A lawyer asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus asked him what the Law said, he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said he had answered correctly. “But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” (verse 29).
The lawyer’s question implied that there must be some reasonable limits on love and mercy. Surely God didn’t want him to love everyone, did He?
Jesus responded with a parable. Most of us know the story: a traveling Jew was robbed, beaten, and left for dead; a Jewish priest came upon the man and passed him by; another religious leader came upon him and also passed by; but then a Samaritan came along and compassionately took care of the man.
What modern readers often ignore is that the hero of the story was a Samaritan. Most Jews despised Samaritans, viewing them as half-breeds and heretics. The average Jew probably wouldn’t have stopped to help an injured Samaritan; but in Jesus’ story, a Samaritan goes to great lengths to help an injured Jew. It was the last thing anyone would have expected.
Jesus closed by asking the lawyer which man in the story was “neighbor” to the wounded traveler. The answer was obvious: “The one who showed mercy on him.” By now the lesson was also obvious: “Go and do the same.”
The Samaritan’s act of kindness likely would have been neither returned nor appreciated. But he did it anyway. Jesus’ parable teaches us that the “neighbor” we must love includes people who may not love us.
Most of us have little trouble going out of our way to do some act of kindness if we know we’ll be rewarded for it, or if the receiver is a friend. But what if we think no one will notice (Matt. 6:1-4)? Better still, what if there’s a good chance we’ll be repaid with contempt? Will we still be so ready to act? That is Jesus’ challenge to us. Rather than doing good to others in hopes of receiving good from them, Christ asks me to put myself in their place. My motivation is not to be self-interest, but love.
The apostle Paul wrote, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law… Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfill¬ment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). The golden rule is not a substitute for God’s specific commands, but rather a motive for obeying them. What command has God given that is not seen more clearly when we view it as an expression of love for others?
The ultimate example of the “golden rule” in action is Jesus Himself. He sacrificed His sinless life to offer forgiveness of sins to all people. And He did so knowing that most of those people would never accept His offer. “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8).
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