Notice how sweeping the verse is: whatever you wish that others would do to you. The word whatever is comprehensive. Nothing is excluded from its scope. Not your marriage. Not your kids. Not your coworkers. Not the driver who cut you off this morning. Not the church...
Someone will object that the Golden Rule is not unique to Jesus, and that is partly true. The great Rabbi Hillel, teaching shortly before Jesus, was challenged to teach the whole Torah while standing on one leg. He answered, do not do to your neighbor what is hateful...
Some translations soften the end of Matthew 7:12 to say this sums up the law and the prophets. But Jesus says it is the law and the prophets, their true meaning and essence. Summarizing the law was a popular game among the teachers of his day. They loved to debate...
Notice how Matthew 7:12 begins: so whatever you wish. That little word so is doing a great deal of work. It reaches back not just over the verses right before it but over everything Jesus has said since chapter five. Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are the salt of...
You have probably seen this verse before. It hangs on classroom walls and gets printed on coffee cups, quoted by people who have never opened a Bible. We call it the Golden Rule, and that very familiarity is a problem. When a verse becomes a slogan, we tune it out. We...
