Matthew 7:12-14 (Golden Rule)
THE GOLDEN RULE - "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
The Golden Rule is one of the most popular teachings in the world today, originated by Jesus and commonly accepted within our secular culture as well.
Its premise is simple: "Treat others the same way we would like to be treated." It seems logical and easy to follow, but the biggest challenge is defining how we'd personally like to be treated by others and what that entails both from a superficial perspective and deep within our hearts.
For undoubtedly we welcome words of praise, blessing and affirmation spoken to us and about us, but are we just as eager to hear words of judgment and accountability even if they are grounded in love and spoken for our benefit?
Often times, we welcome praise and shun accountability when in actuality, we judge others rather than affirm their countenance and character. It requires a paradigm shift to think of the Golden Rule as more than a principle for superficial reciprocation because there are many instances where Scripture challenges us to value judgment and accountability in the same manner, which in turn refines our character rather than inflating our pride and ego.
Consider the following:
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love" (Proverbs 27:5).
"Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue" (Proverbs 28:23).
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27:6).
"Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it" (Psalm 141:5).
"Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you" (Proverbs 9:8).
"It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools" (Ecclesiastes 7:5).
Make no mistake, the Golden Rule has infinite benefits from a behavioral perspective if we take the lead rather than hold back. For instance, if we wish to receive respect, we must first give it. If we crave affirmation, we must first seek to build others up as well. If we take pleasure in being served, we must be willing to get our hands dirty first. All of these behaviors model the example Jesus gave His disciples during the Last Supper when He assumed the role of a servant.
"When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them'" (John 13:12-17).
What makes this example so striking is that Jesus did not merely teach a principle to benefit Himself. Rather, He applied its wisdom unto righteousness because it modeled a greater message and purpose of self-denial for the profit of others. There was no ulterior motive to the sacrifice He made because His motivation was rooted in unconditional, selfless love for all mankind.
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:13-15).
The temptation we must overcome as we apply the Golden Rule to our lives is not to allow our compulsion to be self-serving. We live in a culture that is saturated and inundated with "ME-centered" ideology, which caters FIRST to self as the primary reason for serving, respecting, and loving others. However, this ideology runs contrary to Scripture.
The Bible reminds us, "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Therefore, if our actions are not grounded in humility and love for one another in spite of what it may cost us, how can we expect others to show us the same Golden Rule sentiment in return?
In other words, we will never reap a profitable return on investment without risking something to begin with, so why would we expect the Golden Rule to be one-directional in our favor without making any initial investment whatsoever?
King David felt the same way when encamped in his stronghold, professed publicly a desire he had which was fulfilled unbeknownst to him by his most trusted soldiers.
"And David said longingly, 'Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!' Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the LORD and said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it" (1 Chronicles 11:18-19).
David could not bring himself to drink because he realized how self-serving his request was compared to the potential loss that could have come from such a meaningless desire. He had invested nothing to begin with, therefore the prize he received overwhelmed him with guilt and shame to the point where he acknowledged and made atonement for his mistake.
Perhaps an angle of the Golden Rule rarely examined is the impact judgment can have for better or worse in the life of a believer. Keep in mind, Jesus had just previously said, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you" (Matthew 7:1-2).
The key to understanding what role judgment plays in our application of this teaching lies in what Jesus said next: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:3-5).
Let us be clear: Jesus is not condemning judgment in and of itself, but our use of judgment as a weapon of division and self-exaltation within the church. Judgment IS allowed in Scripture among believers, but applied FIRST through a filter of personal accountability in our own hearts.
That does not assume (for example) a man cannot hold his brother in Christ accountable if he sees patterns of adultery or sexual deviance because he himself does not perfectly apply Jesus' teaching on lust (Matthew 5:27-30) in his own heart.
What Scripture teaches is that in making a judgment call in the life of a believer, we do so understanding we are sinners as well in need of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
Judgment that is grounded in love with personal investment in the well being of a brother or sister in Christ has a far greater success rate than judgment spoken in condemnation. It conveys indescribable love willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to come alongside one another despite the risk associated.
Therefore, we are wise to understand that judgment according to the Golden Rule assumes we are willing to be held accountable by others in order for God to sanctify us according to His will and purpose.
When we sift through surface layers, we begin to see how far and wide the Golden Rule can impact our lives if we allow it. But as Jesus reminds us, the gate that leads unto righteousness is incredibly narrow and those who find it are few.
Truth be told, many of us settle for the wide gate far more often than we care to admit. Time constraints, stress at home and in the workplace, various fears, lack of patience, cultural influences, etc., all have the ability to steer our decision making. Therefore, we must be intentional to not only guard our hearts but expand our perspective and open our eyes to all that Matthew 7:12-14 teaches us.
"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me" (John 14:23-24). Therefore, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).
The Golden Rule was never intended to be superficial in nature, for there are greater rewards available to those who not only hear the Word of the Lord, but do what it says (James 1:22-25).
The key is not settling for what we think benefits us most as our source of motivation. For if we are content to simply give and take without consideration for others, we will find ourselves blind to our own blindness, assuming we have chosen the narrow path when indeed we have chosen the path that leads to destruction.
