“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”
We have all scratched our heads over the Lord's command that we should "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." We should hear His Golden Rule in the light of that earlier statement.
Jesus has assured us, "His light shines on the good and the bad; his rain falls on the just and the unjust." There is no partiality in God, but there is His incredible initiative.
It began with "In the beginning, God created the heavens and Earth." He had absolutely no need to create anything. God is perfect in himself and nothing He does makes him any better. His uttering "Let there be light!" is entirely generous and spontaneous. It's all gift.
So when we hear his "Do to others..." we should recognize God's invitation to do as He does. He is the father in the pool who encourages his child, "Come on in! The water's fine! You can do this!"
We hesitate. That's understandable. The water might be cold; and it's certainly wet, and perhaps unfamiliar. Like, "I've never done that before." But ordinary rationality tells us to hesitate no longer. Just do it!
We have also heard Jesus say, "I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it." With this Golden Rule He teaches us how to fulfill our own nature as he fulfilled his. We are naturally generous despite the timidity that remains over us like the placenta of birth. It's easily shed. We are called to fulfill our human nature with the divine imitation of Christ.
Nor does He insist that we do anything He has not already done. Whether we're looking at God's creation in the beginning; or His call of Abraham and the blessing on Abraham's descendants; or the Lord's persistent patience as He forgave and delivered one generation after another, the Bible is an inexhaustible record of our reluctance to get in the water, and a tireless summary of his encouraging "Do not be afraid."
We have heard the earlier common sense rule, "Don't do to others what you don't want done to you." Any human being can understand that, and it's universally known to all cultures and societies.
The Lord's Golden Rule teaches us what we should have figured out but never did. We can take the initiative; we can do to others as we would have them do to us.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.