A Community of Other-Love
For Meditation (Corey Widmer)
Our text this week is only one verse, but it is probably the most famous verse of the entire Sermon on the Mount, and maybe one of the most famous verses in the Bible. “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). This is widely known as “the golden rule,” probably because gold signifies something of supreme value. This statement of Jesus is often seen as the “moral gold standard” of ethical action for human beings.
While this “rule” is often quoted as a stand alone ethical statement, it makes the most sense in the context of the whole Sermon on the Mount. This is the final statement in the main body of teaching from Jesus that began in chapter 5 verse 17 , where Jesus said that he came not to abolish but to fulfil the Law and the Prophets. So the Golden Rule bookends this central section of the Sermon (5:17-7:12), the whole of which is about the greater righteousness of life that is now possible in God's Kingdom. It summarizes everything that came before it: enemy love, truth-telling, generosity, non-retaliation, judgment, forgiveness, etc. —all of which requires putting others before ourselves.
As you prepare for worship this week, consider the following:
When was a time you were on the receiving end of unexpected kindness or empathy? How did it affect you?
In which relationships in your life—at home, work, school, or church—are you tempted to not treat others in the way you would want to be treated?
In moments of conflict, frustration, or inconvenience, what things tend to guide your behavior? How might the Golden Rule serve as a compass in those moments?
In what specific ways can we treat our neighbors and even those with whom we disagree, as fellow image bearers worthy of dignity?
Matthew 7:12
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”