“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
- Jesus in Matthew 7:12 This teaching is popularly known as “the Golden Rule.” It’s also recorded in Luke 6:31 in a simpler form. It’s an ethic that is held in common with other religions as well. For contrast, in ancient times there was a well-known law of retribution that effectively said “Do to others as others have done to you.” The most popular version is in Exodus 21:24 – “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” – which was advocating a more even kind of retribution, instead of a multiplied one (as with Lamech’s seventy-seven-fold vengeance in Genesis 4:23-24). Later, there came a negative version of Golden rule that basically said not to do something to somebody else that you wouldn’t want them to do to you. This is good teaching. If you don’t like people talking about you behind your back, don’t do it to someone else. If you don’t like it when you’re driving and someone is riding your tail, don’t do it to another driver. Of course there are other examples. But Jesus goes beyond all this. His call is not just to avoid the negative, but to do the positive: Do to others as you would have them do to you. This requires insight: For example, I love chocolate malts. Let’s say I want to do something good, and I buy chocolate malts for everyone in church. That’s a great idea, right? But what about the people who are lactose intolerant? What about those who are diabetic? They might need something else, so I need to think more about their needs, rather than just my own appetites. This also requires some awareness of the difference between what a person wants and what they really need. I’m not really loving my neighbor as myself if I buy them a pack of cigarettes – even if that’s something they like. Lung cancer and COPD are not acts of love. I say this because people often talk of the Golden Rule in simplistic terms: “People make religion so complicated with all their doctrines and rules, but really it’s simple – we should treat others how we want to be treated.” But that’s not simple at all. Human beings are complex. We have diverse human needs. All this should be taken into account as we find ways of treating others well. We have to understand other people in order to do what Jesus commands. This is part of the reason why it’s a good thing for Christians to be interested in the lives of other people. The more fascinated we are with them and their story, the better we’ll understand them. This plays out significantly in church endeavors. Lots of churches these days have people with this sentiment: “I sure wish there were more people here. I really wish we had a bigger church like we used to.” This is good in a sense. It’s good to see the potential in people, rather than regarding them as a nuisance or a threat. But it also raises some questions: Who are these people? What are their needs? What is their life like? How can we minister to them? How can we treat them the way we’d want to be treated if we were in their shoes? The good news is that this a part of a church fulfilling its mission. If you want to grow bigger, maybe the extent to which that happens will depend on following the Golden Rule. People are yearning for love, and where that is, they will flock to it – just like they flocked to Jesus. God bless you, Andrew McHenry, Pastor First Congregational Church of Oroville
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
March 2024
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