Luke 6:27-38
What Makes the Golden Rule Golden?
“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 them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV1984)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have a grandson who is very fond of “What if” scenarios. For years he has been asking me questions such as, “Papa, what if this happens…” or “Papa, what if that happens….” I usually try to answer his questions as well as I can. But, if the questions just keep on coming eventually I will respond with a question of my own. I might ask him, “What if the sky falls?” or, “What if the Lord returns?” That usually puts an end to the “What if” scenarios— at least for a while!
As you know our sermon text for today is one of the places in Scripture (See also Matthew 7:12) where we find the “Golden Rule”— “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Borrowing from my grandson, let me ask you, What if instead of giving us the Golden Rule Jesus gave us the Silver Rule of the Bronze Rule like in the Olympics? What if Jesus had told us, “Consider doing unto others what you would have them consider doing unto you”? Or, what if Jesus said to us, “Do unto others before they do it unto you”? Would that have the same impact, the same power and the same depth as the Golden Rule? Not at all! And yet, sometimes it seems as though people are very comfortable living by the Silver Rule or the Bronze Rule instead of the Golden Rule.
Because living by the Golden Rule goes against our old sinful nature, today let’s see how this portion of Scripture gives us the opportunity to ask the question: What Makes the Golden Rule Golden?
What makes the Golden Rule golden? While we will see a number of answers to that question the first answer is found in the opening words of our text. A very literal translation of these opening words would go like this, “But I am saying to you who are listening (to me).” “But.” This world automatically directs us back to what Jesus had just said. When we look at the verses preceding our text (Luke 6:20-26) we hear Jesus remind His disciples of the tremendous spiritual blessings that belong only to those who believe and trust in Jesus. These blessings go far beyond anything we deserve. These blessings are ours purely because of the grace and the power of our God.
Those who have received these tremendous blessings from the Lord are the ones who “are listening” to Jesus. Those who do not believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior will not want to hear much less follow what Jesus is about to say. Our willingness and our eagerness to keep on listening to Jesus is one of the things that makes the Golden Rule golden! It comes from our Lord Himself!
When we are listening to Jesus what will we hear Him say to us? We will hear Him give us commands, rules, that sound shocking to the unbelievers, but when we look at them in the light of the cross (Pointing to the cross) we understand exactly what our Savior is saying to us— and why! In the light of the cross Jesus says to you and to 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 what you would have them do to you.”
As I was working my way through this text I found it insightful that the verb forms here are in the present tense. The present tense emphasizes ongoing action. Very literally Jesus is telling us, “Keep on loving your enemies, keep on blessing those who curse you, keep on praying for those who mistreat you” etc. By using the present form of the verbs Jesus is emphasizing that one of the things that make the Golden Rule golden is that it is not just something we do every now and then. It is not something that we do only when we feel like it. It is not something that we do when we think it is convenient. The Golden Rule guides how we conduct ourselves each and every day.
Think back over the course of your life, my friends. Think back over the course of just this past week. Is there anyone who considers you their “enemy”? Is there anyone who has said something or done something to hurt you or to harm you? If so, our natural reaction is to try and “get even” with them, isn’t it. But, as we “are listening” to Jesus we hear Him tell us to take a deep breath, remember what He has done for us and let the warmth of His love and His forgiveness shine forth in both our attitude towards others as well as our actions toward others.
But what if someone actually physically hurts me> What if someone literally takes something that belongs to me? What if someone asks to “borrow” something and won’t give it back? What are we to do in that type of situation? We continue to “keep on listening” to Jesus and do— nothing. We don’t strike them back. We don’t demand that they give back what they took or borrowed from us. We take a deep breath, lift up our eyes to the cross and listen as Jesus reminds us that what we have or do not have does not and cannot change who we are and what we are worth to Him. (Pointing to the cross) Then we pray that the example that we give will help that person to see the power and the priority of Jesus’ love— and maybe ask how they can have that same love in their hearts and in their lives.
That thought leads us to yet another answer to the question, What makes the Golden Rule golden? Look at what our Lord says to us in verses 32-36 of our text, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
What makes the Golden Rule golden, my friends is that it openly reveals to the people around us that we are “different.” By the grace and power of God we think differently, we act differently, we react differently than the unbelievers because by the grace and power of our Savior God He has changed us from the inside out. By the grace of God we understand that as Christians our “reward” is not found in this life but in the life to come. By the grace of God our goal in this life is to make sure that the people around us can not only see and hear that we are “different,” but that they can see and hear that the reason we are “different” is because we are the children of the Most High God! As children of the Most High God we consciously take the mercy that our heavenly Father so freely showers upon us and share it with the people around us— including our enemies, including those who hate us and curse us and mistreat us, including those who either consciously or unconsciously take advantage of us.
And finally, what makes the Golden Rule golden? It enables us to have a proper God-pleasing understanding of the closing verses of our text. Jesus says to you and to me, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
“Do not judge!” It is painful to see and to hear people take these words of our Savior out of context and twist them to say that we should never judge anyone’s actions or anyone’s beliefs. That is not what Jesus is teaching us here! Think about it. Jesus Himself “judged” both people’s actions and their beliefs, didn’t He. Jesus “judged” the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. (See Matthew 23) Jesus “judged” the Sadducees because they rejected what the Scriptures teach concerning the resurrection of the dead. (See Mark 12:18-27) Jesus “condemned” the actions of the woman who was caught in the act of committing adultery by telling her, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).
What Jesus is teaching here in our text is a real-life application of the Golden Rule. Don’t “judge” other people based on your own personal opinions unless you want them to “judge” you based on their own personal opinions. Don’t “condemn” people based on your own concept of what is right and what is wrong unless you are willing to have them do the same to you. Forgive the words and actions of others when they sin against you with the same mercy and love God shows to you when He freely and fully forgives you for your sinful words and for your sinful actions. Generously share with others what God has generously shared with you— trusting that God’s blessings to you can never run out!
“Do to others what you would have them do to you.” This is not a Bronze Rule. This is not a Silver Rule. This is the Golden Rule. And what makes the Golden Rule golden? It is golden because it is a command that we have received from Christ Jesus Himself. It is golden because it gives us an opportunity to reveal to others that we are different because we are the children of God Most High. It is golden because it gives us the proper way to “judge” both ourselves and others.
To God be the glory!
Amen
