The concept of The Golden Rule—treat others as you would like to be
treated—appears in many religions. So what makes Jesus’ version of the saying
so exceptional?
Its uniqueness lies in a single word, “therefore,” that signals the
generosity of our heavenly Father. Here is what Jesus said: “If you then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore,
whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:11-12 italics
added).
All of us fall short of what we know to be true: We do not love others
the way God loves us. Jesus lived out that admirable ethic with perfect love by
living and dying for all our sins.
We have a loving, giving Father who set aside His own self-interest to
reveal the full measure of His love through His Son Jesus. God’s generosity is
the dynamic by which we treat others as we would like to be treated. We love
and give to others because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
Our heavenly Father asks us to live up to His commands, but He also
gives us His power and love to carry it out. We need only to ask Him for it.
We have committed The Golden Rule to memory; now let us commit it to life. —E. Markham (RBC)
