How incredibly simple! We all know how we want to be treated by other people! Jesus says simply “Treat them like we want to be treated”.
As we seek to follow Jesus Christ, then we take notice of his teachings and do our best to put them into practice. The teachings of Jesus are summed up in what we call “The Sermon on the Mount”. As we read through these verses we come to a single verse which sums everything up.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12
And in Lukes Gospel:
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:31
The Golden Rule
When I was at school, I remember our R.I. (religious instruction in those days) teacher telling us that it was “The Golden Rule”. Fifty years and 3,000 sermons later I have come back to the simplicity of this rule, which has the potential to transform our lives and the communities in which we live.
Not only does this sum up what Jesus had to say but it sums up all of the law in the Old Testament and also all that the prophets of old taught us about justice. In fact this another way of putting the principal of loving our neighbour as ourself.
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Galatians 5:14
So what does it mean in practice:
| Do we need encouragement? | Then encourage other people. |
| Do we like people gossiping about us behind our backs? | Then don’t spread gossip about them. |
| Do we want people to tell the truth about us? | Then only speak truth about other people. |
| Do we want people to listen to us? | Really listen of other people and try to understand their reasoning even if we disagree with them. |
| Do we thrive on kindness? | Be kind to one another. |
| Do we seek respect? | Respect other people. |
| If we suffer exploitation because of our vulnerability. | Stand up for other people and seek justice for the exploited. |
| Are we a part of a minority group? | Respect all minority groups and stand up for their rights. |
| Do we suffer persecution because of our beliefs? | Love those who persecute us and try to understand their reasons. |
| Are we grieving for the loss of a loved one? | Empathise with other people suffering a similar loss. |
| And so on ……. |
Summary
“Do to others as you would have them do to you” sounds so simple and yet it is so profound. If we all lived our lives according to this, think how different the world would be. If we claim to be a christian or a follower of Jesus Christ, we must take this seriously and make this statement the overarching principle in how we treat other people in our communities.
Compassion and Justice 
I agree with you George that love and compassion is all that is needed to be a good human being. However, having said that there is not much love shown in the bombing of Muslim countries with drones which kill innocent civilians including children, this leads to hatred and retaliation to innocent people in this country. I was once told many years ago by a bishop, when I complained about his church not condemning the bombing of a TV studio in the Balkans, that war was a blunt instrument. What a comment from a so called Christian, not much love or compassion shown there. Bombing by any one is wrong and is always indiscriminate, yet we as Christians do not speak out against such actions, in the strongest terms possible.
Also there is no love or compassion shown in abortion, which many Christians accept. Then we have Brexit which is dividing the country simply because the remainers will not accept democracy, no love shown there. We are being manipulated into accepting anything as normal and truths that have served us for hundreds of years are being thrown out, no longer required in this new secular world, where anything goes. Women now have to use the same toilets as men, what a crazy idea. New born children do not need their sex put on the birth certificate, another crazy idea. There is no moral code , yet as Christians we just go along with it for a quiet life, instead of making a stand. I love Jesus with all my heart, but I no longer have any faith in any kind of Christian Preacher, as I have found them all to be selective in what they preach, and they all go with the flow. I believe everyone should pray at home as I do and forget all kind of preachers, we do not need a middle man.
AE
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Well said. These are the lessons we should focus on. Thanks for sharing, Keith
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I was thinking today about Sermon on the Mount. To do to the other as you would yourself, you have to first see them, pay attention. How easy it is to not see people by categorising and dismissing – they then become invisible, well at least the ones you don’t like. Seems to me dehumanising people is the greatest injustice, they are reduced to a something not a someone. A something can be missed a someone we must give attention to. With Jesus non were invisible or dehumanised.
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