Shayne Looper: A life-changing principle for a better world

Some biblical passages have become so much a part of popular culture that they have been given their own titles. Examples include, “The Prodigal Son,” “The Great Commission” and “The Lord’s Prayer.” None of these titles appear in the actual text.

Perhaps the best-known passage of this type, both inside and outside the church, comes from “The Sermon on the Mount” (which is itself another post-biblical designation). As Jesus was preparing to wrap up the sermon, he told his hearers to “… do to others what you would have them do to you …” It was in the 17th century that this instruction was first known as “The Golden Rule.”

Some scholars are quick to say that the Golden Rule was not original to Jesus, but had been a staple in moral instruction for generations. For proof of this, they cite the Chinese philosopher Confucious, who lived approximately 500 years before Christ. He said, “What I do not wish men to do to me, I also wish not to do to men.” The ancient Indian sage Brihaspati similarly said, “One should never do something to others that one would regard as an injury to one's own self.”

There are many other versions of the rule of reciprocity, some of which were known in Judaism when Jesus was on earth. However, unlike Jesus’s instruction, these are negative injunctions. They direct people not to do to others what they would not want someone to do to them. Jesus, however, takes a different and more demanding approach.

Jesus phrases his directive positively: “Do to others what you would have them do to you,” and then adds that this sums up the law and the prophets, what we now call the Old Testament. Obeying the negative command is a good thing — just think how much better the world would be if people simply followed Confucious’ example. But following Jesus’s instruction is nothing short of life-changing.

If people followed Confucious’ instruction, they would not steal from other people. But if they followed Jesus’s instruction, they would not only not steal from people, they would also give to people when they were in need, and help them when they were able. Instead of not talking badly about people, they would speak well of them whenever possible. In the negative version of the rule of reciprocity, we are taught not to harm. In the positive version, we are taught to love.

This makes sense when we consider a chief theme of the Sermon on the Mount: that the righteousness needed to enter the kingdom of God is expressed in love. Those who follow the Golden Rule will convey love to the people they encounter.

The Golden Rule is not a moral instruction that can be followed thoughtlessly or, in most cases, acted on spontaneously. To follow the rule, I need to put myself in someone else’s shoes and this requires thought, intelligence, and imagination. It will frequently take time to work through how I would want people to act toward me if I were in their position.

Imagine that a relative asks you for help. His girlfriend is pregnant, and neither set of parents is speaking to them. They have no money to pay rent. Before you can act on his behalf, you need to place yourself, as best you can, in his situation. What would you want people to tell you if you were him? What would you want them to do for you? The rule is more involved than most people realize.

Anyone who sets out to keep the Golden Rule will quickly discover that they need to think. It is not a compendium of laws with detailed instructions on every situation we might encounter. It is rather, as John Stott put it, a “remarkably flexible” and powerful principle. Thinking, however, is not enough. They will also need to pray, for following the Rule demands more than intelligence and imagination. It requires divine assistance.

The world would be a better place if we all followed Confucious’ example. It would be heaven if we followed Jesus’.

— Find this and other articles by Shayne Looper at shaynelooper.com.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Shayne Looper: A life-changing principle for a better world