As you would have them do

As you would have them do

Scripture:

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

Observation:

Starting off with the Beatitudes, and then showing His disciples their role as the salt and light of the world, Jesus declared that He came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. Then He went on to set out an even higher standard of conduct that His disciples were to follow. The Old Testament law forbade the actual actions of murder, adultery, and decreed “an eye for an eye” as a just and equitable solution. It allowed divorce and the written law focused more on the outward actions with less emphasis on the inner motive.

The conduct taught by Jesus was of a much higher level. We are not to remain angry with our brother, not to look lustfully at a woman, to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, never to divorce. The attention is shifted from the outward actions to the inner condition of the heart that would have preceded the action. Anger would be the prelude to murder, lust to adultery. The motive behind the acts of giving to the poor or praying was specially emphasized by the Lord. What we need to understand that the key to following the Sermon of the Mount, comes not from outward actions or even inward control but by a submission to the Holy Spirit, who gives us a new divine heart, that is able to forgive the unforgiveable, to turn the other cheek, to trust God in simplicity even in the eye of the storm.

Our Lord sums up the Sermon of the Mount by saying “do to others as you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”. Interestingly, in Deuteronomy 22, we see a very typical illustration of this concept. If we are to see neighbor’s ox or sheep straying, we are not to ignore it, but to take it back to its owner, even keeping it for them if we don’t know who owns it. It is the law of empathy, considering how we would want ourselves to act, if we were in the other person’s shoes. It has nothing to do with whether the other person deserves the action or not, but wholly what we would hope for and appreciate if we were them. Some of us have maids or employees. If we were maids or employees, how would we appreciate our boss treating us? If we were bosses, how would we expect our employees to put in work fairly for us? Some of us have children. If we were children, how would we like to be brought up (over the long run)? We all have parents. How would we want our children to treat us?

Can we apply the “do to others as you would have them do to you” principle in our approach to our Lord? If we were God, what would we expect from our creations, whom we considered as our children? Trust, love and obedience and forbearance and kindness for our fellow created beings no doubt. And this is how we should come to God, with deep trust, love and desire to be obedient to Him for that is what He deserves as our Creator and God!

Application: 

Meditate on the principle of empathy, of doing to others as you would have them do to you. Look around us, do we make a practice of considering the other person’s point of view? Are we open and ready to show kindness, to step out of the way to do something the other would appreciate? There are boundless opportunities to show empathy to so many throughout the day. Even as we think of God, have we taught from His perspective, how He would expect His creation and children to respond to Him?

Prayer:

Bless thee, Heavenly Father, for the wisdom You teach us through Your Word. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for this great teaching on empathy, that would really go so far to make this world a better place. Let this teaching remain with me day by day, I pray, that I might be open and ready to show empathy to whomever You may lead me too. Teach me to look to more and more from Your point of view, O Lord, to respond with the trust, love and thanksgiving only You deserve. Praise You, precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.