Shortly after Francis became Pope, he came to the United States for an official visit. Part of his visit was to speak to a joint session of the United States Congress. The place was packed to hear this most interesting man. And his speech was well received.
In his speech, Pope Francis mentioned four Americans–Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton—and used their lives to illustrate the points of his message. It was while he was referring to Martin Luther King, Jr. (specifically, the needs of refugees) that the pope mentioned the Golden Rule. I remember hearing the speech, and was struck by the long, thunderous applause that occurred when the pope said, “We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12). In a speech filled with universal applause and appreciation, it was this line about the Golden Rule that received the longest and the loudest applause.
Sadly, the politicians in the room seemed to misunderstand the Golden Rule as they immediately went back to their highly partisan, winner-take-all attitude. It has continued to this day.
What is it about the Golden Rule that so appeals to us and yet we fall so short in its implementation? I think many of us see it as an ideal—something we should aspire to, but never really expect to live up to its high standards.
And yet, it is the high standards of the Golden Rule that each of us can aspire to, because, surprisingly, it’s really not that hard to live out the concept of treating people the way we want to be treated.
What Does the Golden Rule Say?
The rule is found in two passages in the Gospels—once in Luke’s account and once in Matthew’s. In Luke, the rule reads simply, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). Matthew records it this way: “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).
Luke places the verse at the end of a paragraph where Jesus teaches about loving our enemies. “But I tell you who hear Me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have done to you” (Luke 6:27-31).
This is a difficult passage, because it seems to be telling us that we should not stand up for ourselves, that we should meekly let others walk all over us. And, to some degree, that’s correct. It is our nature to fight back, to not let others treat us like dirt. Sometimes. But Jesus is teaching His disciples, and us, that our way of looking at the world becomes different when we become one of His followers. When we embrace the teachings of Christ, then enemies disappear, and we are no longer under the control of anyone but Christ.
Look at His example. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter and the other disciples were prepared to put up a fight. The only reason it didn’t turn into a melee was because Jesus, who was in control of the situation, knew that the Father had other plans. God’s plans didn’t include bloodshed in the garden. Instead, Jesus went willingly with those who had come to arrest Him in the darkness of the night. As He stood accused before the Sanhedrin, He stood in silence, knowing in part that nothing He could say would sway them from the decision they had already determined to make. Before Pontius Pilate, Jesus’ words were not designed to set Himself free, but to confront Pilate with what he was about to do. At Calvary, Jesus’ words were focused on the task at hand—atonement and forgiveness and obedience to the Father.
In the same way, Jesus reminds us that we are in control of most situations. Imagine, someone seeks to rob you and demands your wallet. How would he respond if I ask, in sincerity, “Do you need my watch, as well? How about my car keys? Apparently, you seem to think you need these more than I do.” (Lord willing, none of us will ever truly be confronted with such a choice, and if someone waved a gun in my face, I’d probably forget how to speak, much less speak coherently the words of Christ.)
Matthew’s record of the Golden Rule comes at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus introduced the Sermon with the words that He had come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, and that we had to have a righteousness that exceeded that of the Pharisees if we wanted to enter into heaven. Having explained how we are to act in living the spirit of the Law and Prophets and how we are to have a righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees, Jesus concludes with the Golden Rule.
The Sermon on the Mount emphasized not what we do, but why we do it. It is a radical rethinking of how a person obeys the Law and Prophets, certainly as opposed to the Pharisaic tradition. The Pharisees grew out of the Babylonian Exile, and the lesson that was learned in Babylon was that disobedience to the Law of Moses is what landed Israel in exile. A strict adherence to the letter of the Law grew out of this awareness. The problem was that the Pharisees neglected the spirit of the law; worse, they went about creating their own rules and rituals to protect the Law from being violated again. These new rules and regulations began to separate the people from the will of God, to the point that God’s revelation was lost amid all the legalism and ritual. So when Jesus came and said that the law against murder also meant not getting angry at people, He turned things on their heads. Rather than adhering to the letter of the Law, Jesus uses the Sermon to show us it is the spirit of the Law that really matters. In summarizing His lessons, Jesus gave us the Golden Rule—treat people the way you want to be treated.
Having a saving faith in Christ is what brings us into the kingdom of heaven. Entering that kingdom means we are professing a faith in Christ that extends not just to His atoning death and resurrection, but also an acknowledgement that His ways are the only true way to live life and relate to God and to others. The Golden Rule is the summary of these rules in a nutshell.
Why Do We Forget the Golden Rule So Easily?
I believe the main reason we fail to apply the Rule to everyday life is that we forget what it says. We have a tendency to “reinterpret” the verse to be more accommodating.
For instance, I believe many of us understand the verse to really say, “Treat others the way you want to be treated (assuming, that is, that “others” are similar to you).” By this, I mean that we have a tendency to treat others well as long as we have basic similarities—same race, same socio-economic background, same basic intellect/education, etc. As long as we feel comfortable with “other,” we will treat them the same.
Some may see the Rule as saying, “Treat others the way you want to be treated” but then add the proviso, “as long as they respond in kind.” Many of us are willing to treat people well as long as they reciprocate the treatment. If I hold a door open for someone, and they fail to say, “Thank you,” then I’ll think twice about opening the door for that person. No one appreciates an ingrate, after all.
Still others interpret the Rule to be, “Treat others the way you have been treated.” This puts the burden of treatment on the other person, which is directly opposite what the Rule really says. Still, there are those who live their life according to this alternate Rule.
How about, “Treat others the way you want to be treated, as long as they’re able to help you get further along.” Sadly, we all know people like this. They’re the ones who are quick to help someone as long as the person being helped is in a position to return the favor with something extra. “I’m being nice to you, so that when that next position opens up, you’ll recommend me for it.”
There are other variants, but I think we get the idea with just these few examples. As is so often the case with Scripture, we sometimes are all too willing to see it through eyes that are to my best advantage. Unfortunately, God didn’t send the Word to accommodate our lifestyles. He sent the Word to take us out of our lifestyles and put us into His expectations and His lifestyle.
So What Does the Golden Rule Really Mean?
To know the meaning, look again at the Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”
The first part to see is “So in everything.” In every aspect of our living, in all circumstances, with all people is what that means. There is never a moment when the Golden Rule does not apply. The Golden Rule must be our “go to” way of living life regardless of where we are or what we’re doing. There really is never a time when seeking to be the ambassador of reconciliation and of Christian faith should take the back seat to anything.
Notice also that the rule is very proactive. We are not instructed to see how people treat us, then act accordingly. Instead, we are expected to be the ones determining how we will act in our world. It is up to me to treat people the way I want to be treated. It is up to me to set the tone of my life by consciously and conscientiously deciding to apply the Golden Rule to my life. It is up to me to treat people in a Christ-like manner regardless how they treat me or respond to me.
The rule is also an independent decision. That is, whether or not I choose to live by the rule is entirely up to me. It is not determined by any one person or circumstance. It is my decision and my decision alone whether I will or won’t obey the Golden Rule.
Of course, having said that, my determination and my way of responding to the Golden Rule is very much dependent upon my relationship with Christ. If I embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then I am also acknowledging that His teachings become paramount in my life. By accepting Christ, I am telling Him, myself and the world around me that I so believe in the things that Jesus teaches that I am submitting my life to Him and the way I demonstrate that submission is by my obedience to those same teachings and commands. My love for Christ is demonstrated in the way I treat the people for whom He died.
I believe it is important to note also that the Golden Rule is unlimited. That is, there is no time sensitivity to it (“Treat others the way you want to be treated for five years”) nor is there a limitation to the people I am to treat under the rule. The Golden Rule is a blanket rule that applies all the time toward everyone I meet.
In other words, people can be jerks around us, but that doesn’t mean we have to be jerks. People can be negative around us, but that doesn’t mean we have to be negative ourselves. How I relate to my world and the people within it is not tied into anything more than letting Christ be our example. Refer back to Luke’s gospel account and the context within which we find the Golden Rule.
Conclusion
The bottom line for Jesus and His ministry is always how to demonstrate the love of God to a lost and dying world. The way we do it is to obey Christ’s teachings. And the best way to do that is summarized in this statement: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
© 2018 Glynn Beaty