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DO TO OTHERS AS
YOU WOULD HAVE
THEM DO TO YOU
LUKE 6:31, THE GOLDEN RULE
T
he saying, “Do to others
what you would have them
do to you,” has become
known as the Golden Rule, and
finds expression in the ethical code
of most of the world’s religions. In
the Bible, it is taught by Jesus as
part of the Sermon on the Plain in
Luke 6:31 and the Sermon on the
Mount in Matthew 7:12, where
Jesus says that it “sums up the
Law and Prophets.”
The Golden Rule emphasizes
the necessity of positive ethical
behavior. It is not simply enoughto refrain from doing what is wrong;
rather, those who would live by the
Golden Rule must actively seek to
do good to and for others, just as
they would hope to be treated
themselves. When Jesus claims
that this sums up all the Law and
Prophets, it is a reminder that God’s
commandments are not primarilyJesus preaches to His followers
in this stained-glass detail of one of
the four scenes gifted to St. Leonard’s
Church in Charlecote, England, in the
late 19th century.IN BRIEF
PA S SAGE
Matthew 7:9–12;
Luke 6:27–36THEME
Fulfilling the Jewish lawSETTING
c. 27–29 ce The Sermon on
the Mount (in Matthew), a
mountainside in Galilee; the
Sermon on the Plain (in Luke),
a plain near Capernaum.KEY FIGURES
Jesus The Messiah and
Son of God at the start of
His ministry in Galilee.Jesus’s disciples A group of
Jewish men and women who
travel with Jesus during His
ministry. The 12 closest to
Him are tasked with spreading
the word about Him and His
teachings after His death.US_210-211_Golden_Rule.indd 210 28/09/17 5:58 pm
211
See also: Sermon on the Mount 204–09 ■ The Lord’s Prayer 212–13 ■ The Good Samaritan 216–17THE GOSPELS
a list of dos and don’ts, but rather a
blueprint for healthy relationships
between people. Ethical behavior
requires us to treat every person
as equally valuable.Emulating God
Jesus’s teaching contains a
distinctive perspective on the
Golden Rule. In Luke’s version,
Jesus points out that if His
disciples apply this rule only to
those who are already good to
them, then they have missed the
point. Following the Golden Rule
will mean that they will seek to do
good even to their enemies, even
though they might never treat them
with respect in return. By blessing
others, even when they do not
respond in a like manner, Jesus’s
disciples show that they have truly
become children of God through
their imitation of God’s character.
In Matthew’s account, Jesus
gives the Golden Rule immediately
after describing the willingness of
God to listen to prayer: “Ask and
it will be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the doorwill be opened to you.” Jesus makes
the point that good parents give
good gifts to their children, and
would never think to serve up a
stone rather than bread to eat, or
give a child a snake instead of a fish.
If human parents are like this,
Jesus says, then “how much more
will your Father in heaven give
good gifts to those who ask Him!”
(Matthew 7:11). Since God responds
so readily to the needs of Jesus’s
followers, blessing them with love
despite their many failings, they
in turn should willingly act for the
good of others, regardless of what
the response might be.Basis of morality
It is important to remember that
the Golden Rule is positive in form.
Too often the negative form—do
not do things to other people that
you would not want done to you—is
used, which ensures that there is a
minimum level of ethical behavior.
However, Jesus’s Golden Rule seeks
to guide His disciples in a life of
kindness, generosity, and justice
that goes beyond strict moralism.The Golden Rule is sometimes
called the “ethic of reciprocity”
when discussed outside of a
Christian context. This name has
sparked some debate: while, in a
philosophical context, the concept
is seen as a moral contract between
two parties (one treats the other
well, in expectation of this kindness
being reciprocated) in the Golden
Rule, the actual or presupposed
behavior of others has no bearing
on how one should treat them. ■The Golden Rule in other religions
As a fundamental ethical idea,
the Golden Rule is found in many
of the world’s religions and moral
codes. However, different religions
each approach the rule with a
slightly different emphasis, and
many Eastern religions take the
negative form. Buddhism says:
“Hurt not others in ways that
you yourself would find hurtful
(Udana-Varga 5:18), while
Hinduism says: “Do not do to
others what would cause pain if
done to you” (Mahabharata 5:1517).
The Confucian Doctrine of theMean says: “Do not impose on
others what you yourself do
not desire” (13.3).
The Abrahamic religions are
united by the use of the positive
form to express the Golden Rule.
Islam preaches that “None of
you believes until he wishes for
his brother what he wishes for
himself” (Hadith-Nawawi 13),
while Judaism’s expression of
the Golden Rule can be found in
Leviticus 19:18, with the simple
commandment to “Love your
neighbor as yourself.”The Qur’an tells Muslims to do good
to everyone, including wayfarers,
“neighbors who are strangers,”
and slaves (Q:4:36).Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul and
with all your strength
and with all your mind.
Luke 10:26–27US_210-211_Golden_Rule.indd 211 02/11/2017 11:06