"The Golden Rule" 2-21-21
Overview
The Golden Rule: Blessing Others in the Positive
"Do to others as you would have them do to you" Luke 6:31. Most major religions and philosophical traditions contain some version of this rule, but they almost always state it negatively: don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to you. The negative form is easier—it requires no action, only restraint. Jesus, however, frames it positively. He calls us not merely to refrain from harm, but to actively pursue the good of others. This is the heart of what it means to bless those around us, paraphrasing the second great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39; Leviticus 19:18).
There is also a subtle temptation Jesus addresses immediately: tweaking the rule into mere reciprocity. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them" Luke 6:32-34. Reciprocity is a powerful human instinct—even small kindnesses tend to produce kindness in return—but it is not distinctly Christian. Unbelievers practice it well. Jesus calls His people to something higher: "Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return" Luke 6:35. The Good Samaritan embodies this selfless love—binding wounds, paying expenses, asking nothing back Luke 10:30-37. His action was not contingent on the response of the one in need.
This kind of love is possible only because God first loved us this way. "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" Romans 5:10. We do not love others to earn salvation; salvation has already been purchased. Rather, as children of the Most High—a status conferred at our baptism—we love as an outpouring of the love we have received, empowered by the One who is "kind to the ungrateful and the wicked."
Pastoral application: Consider this week whom God has placed in your path to bless. Resist the easy version of the Golden Rule that simply avoids harm, and resist the version that quietly expects something in return. Instead, by God's grace, do for someone else what you would want done for you—expecting nothing back. In a world hungry for this kind of love, leave that blessing behind wherever you go.
Transcript
Let us pray. Holy and gracious God, we give you thanks now for this time when you're 2s
word, your word is truth. We praise you, O Lord, for the treasure that you have placed 8s
in our hands for Holy Scriptures. For as we open up these pages, we know that the voice 14s
that we hear is your voice. And so bless us now to your glory with this study in Jesus' name. 21s
Amen. Would you open your Bible's please to that gospel lesson for our study today 32s
the sixth chapter of the gospel of Luke. We are continuing in a series simply entitled 38s
blessing others. We're living in days where this is an extra perfect time for us to be 44s
a blessing to others, for us to be those kind of people that leave the blessing behind in 51s
our interactions with others. This is a seven part sermon series and so this is sermon number 59s
three. In just a review in sermon number one we talked about a way of blessing others as we 65s
love them. Last week we studied Holy Scripture of way in which we can bless others as we 71s
forgive them. Well today we continue on in this series blessing others. When you were 79s
child I imagine that you were taught the similar lessons that I was taught. I imagine 91s
you probably heard the phrase, what's the magic word? What's the magic word? As I say 99s
that what we're immediately pops into your mind. Is it please? Do you ever recall hearing 107s
that from a parent or a grandparent where they said, what's the magic word? That word 115s
please can open up a whole host of doors? Can't it? Or perhaps you've heard the phrase, 123s
what do you say? What do you say? What word or words was that reminding you of in which 133s
it would say, what do you say? Thank you. Reminding that child, teaching the child, to have 143s
that spirit of gratitude, all that is such an important lesson isn't it? And so when the question 155s
would come, what do you say? It was that reminder to be a person with a grateful spirit. 161s
Of course, sir and ma'am those are always good things to say, aren't they? And then there 170s
were those times where did you ever receive the lesson I know I did several times? Where a 179s
parent or a grandparent would turn and say, would you like them to do that to you? Or would you 188s
like them to say that to you? And then the question, what should you say to them? What should 196s
you do to them? What would you desire if you were them? And of course, what was being taught 204s
was the rule, the golden rule. Jesus states it so clearly in our text doesn't he? Luke chapter 6 verse 31, 217s
Jesus said, do to others as you would have them do to you. That's really a paraphrase isn't it? 232s
Of the second great command. And revival reveals the first, love the Lord your God with all your 245s
heart and soul in mind. And it said in the second is, like it, love your neighbor as yourself. 251s
We hear that for example in Matthew chapter 22, along before it's recorded in Leviticus the 19 chapter. 261s
Love your neighbor as yourself. It's really a paraphrase of the golden rule. 273s
But what's so interesting about this is every major or or most every major religion 282s
has as a part of it. Some form of the golden rule, most philosophical systems have a part of it. 290s
Some form of the golden rule. But what's so interesting is that most of the time in the expressions 298s
in other religions and philosophical systems, most of the time that golden rule 308s
it said in the negative. For example, there's a Jewish rabbi by the name of Hello. And he said it 315s
this way. What is hateful to yourself do not do to someone else. It's a golden rule, 327s
but it's in the negative. A great philosopher put it this way. What you avoid suffering yourself 337s
do not afflict on others. You're again, it's put in the negative 345s
socrates played among others. And they all had a different form of it, but basically it was, 352s
if you don't want somebody else to do something to you, then don't do it to them. 363s
Most of the time in other religions and philosophical systems, most of the time that golden rule 372s
is expressed in the negative. Why is that? Why is it? Well, when it's expressed in the negative, 380s
it's just easier to do. For example, don't steal if you don't want somebody to steal from you. 392s
When it's said in the negative, you're not doing anything. You're not even lifting a finger. 407s
Don't steal if you don't want somebody to steal from you. You're not doing anything. But Jesus 414s
put the golden rule, he put it in the positive. And by putting it in the positive, 421s
well, that makes it harder, right? Because Jesus was calling us to do something. He wasn't just 431s
calling us not to do something or to avoid something. He was calling us to do something. 441s
And also, when Jesus taught on the golden rule, he was also getting at a temptation 451s
that surrounds that rule. But when he plays at verse 32 of our text, 464s
Jesus said, if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? 474s
For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, 483s
what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 490s
If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? 497s
Even sinners lend to sinners to receive much. Again, 504s
what's the temptation with regard to the golden rule? The temptation is to tweak it. Instead of 512s
do to others as you would have them do to you as Jesus stated, we can tweak the words in our 522s
sinfulness. To our all of a sudden, the golden rule comes out more of 531s
do to others as they do to you. That's really a principle of 537s
reciprocal relationship, isn't it? It's that principle of reciprocity. 550s
If you love me, I'll love you. If you do good things for me, I'll do good things for you. 557s
I'll end to you, but of course, of course, I expect here that I'm going to get something 564s
in return. That principle of reciprocity. It is a powerful, powerful, 571s
principle. There was a study done in which they had a waiter after a meal. The waiter would go, 582s
they would put a mint by all of the diners. So the bill came and it also comes. The mint. 593s
You'd have to look when the diners received the mint. And it was a rather extensive study. 601s
The tip was raised on average by 3%. 3%. If the waiter left two minutes per person at the table, 607s
the tip increased by 14%. If the waiter left one mint, and then quickly came back with another mint, 618s
the tip increased by 23%. It's a powerful, powerful principle that when 632s
something is done for you, there is this drive to do something back. It is this mutually beneficial 643s
relationship. You see, here's the thing. Jesus points it out. Even non-believers can't do that. 654s
Even non-believers can love those that love them. Even non-believers can do good to those that 665s
do good to them. Even non-believers here can lend with the expectation that they're going to receive. 671s
Even non-believers live up the principle of reciprocity. Jesus calls to a different way, 679s
a different way than taking the golden rule and tweaking it to where it simply becomes a principle 692s
of reciprocity. I'm reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Man was going down from Jerusalem 704s
to Jericho. In ancient day, that was a very, very difficult and dangerous trek to take. 716s
The road was oftentimes filled with robbers. That's exactly what this person ran into. 725s
Robbers who left him, half dead. Jesus and telling the story says, a priest came along, saw it, 730s
went to the other side. The evite came along, saw it, went to the other side. Samaritan comes 738s
along. He sees the man and what does he do? Does he go to the other side? No. But he goes over to the 743s
man. Bines the wounds of the man. Put the man on his own beast. Takes him to an inkeeper. 751s
Gives the inkeeper to Denariai, which was the equivalent of two days of wages for labor in ancient 759s
day. And says, now whatever the cost you incur when I come back, I'll pay it back. 767s
In the woods just give me an accounting here of what I owe you, but care for this man. 776s
That was a beautiful expression of selfless love where the focus was on the other. 784s
Where the focus was, well, if I was the person there in need and hurt, I would certainly want 793s
somebody to help me and that's exactly what the good Samaritan does. And his actions were not dependent 802s
upon what actions would come about from the man who was injured. 815s
See, there's no expectation here that well, I'm going to help you in order to get help back. 822s
I'm going to do this and I expect the kindness to come back to me. No, this was simply an 829s
expression of selfless love, not dependent upon the actions of the other. 834s
Look at verse 35 with me again. But love your enemies do good and lend expecting nothing 848s
in return, expecting nothing in return. That's not the golden rule that simply 864s
expressed in the negative. That's not the golden rule that's tweaked into a different form, 879s
or it's simply a principle of reciprocity. That's the golden rule of Jesus and Tenzev. 888s
That expecting nothing in return. Where we say, what would I desire in this situation? 899s
And we act that way, not expecting anything, anything to be given back. 909s
Jesus says, love your enemies, pull rights and Romans the fifth chapter. 922s
For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, 933s
much more surely, having been reconciled when we received by his life. 942s
Notice how we refer to there as enemies of God. That's who we are by nature. 951s
And God loved his enemies us sending his son the Lord Jesus to the cross, 957s
bearing our sin, pain our sin that, restoring the broken relationship, 971s
loving us, transforming our hearts into a people that love Him and empowering us to be a people 980s
that love. Look at me, please, again, at verse 35. 999s
But love your enemies, do good and lend expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great 1006s
and you will be children of the most high for his kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 1018s
Be merciful, just to your father is merciful. For the glorious word to receive, 1031s
and that status that we are children of the most high that's a status conferred to us 1043s
at our baptism that reward as Bible talks about it is already present in our lives. 1048s
As we love others, as we treat them by God's power as we would want to be treated. 1059s
As we live out this positive expression of Jesus's call of this golden rule, 1069s
as we live that out we know we're not doing it to earn our salvation. 1078s
That salvation has already been purchased for us, rather we do it. 1083s
As an outpouring of a love of God, we do it because God impowers us to do it. 1089s
And so beloved, who is it that you can leave this blessing with this week? 1101s
Not the negative expression of the golden rule. That's too easy. 1112s
Not the expression of the golden rule that turns it simply into a principle of reciprocity. 1121s
No, the expression of the golden rule empowered by God Almighty, that which are Lord desires, 1130s
whereby His grace we do to someone else, what we would desire in that situation, 1142s
where we do to someone else, or we desire, but expecting nothing in return. 1154s
Oh, what a blessing that is. And we live in a day, we live in a day. 1169s
We're so many around us, need that kind of blessing. 1177s
Beloved, leave that blessing with someone today. 1187s
Beloved, leave that blessing with someone else. 1209s