Jesus instructed us to follow what we know as the Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” I especially like the way the version in Eugene Peterson’s The Message emphasizes that following the Golden Rule is not to be passive. It reads, “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.”

There were analogues of the Golden Rule that were stated centuries before Christ, many in other cultures than the Jewish, and Jesus’s statement most closely follows that given by the Jewish rabbinical scholar Hillel. Hillel, the namesake for college campus Jewish student organizations, isn’t mentioned in the Bible, but his grandson Gamaliel is mentioned twice in the book of Acts. He is described as a man who was held in great esteem and spoke out against condemning the apostles of Jesus, and Paul was proud to have been one of his students. Hillel’s version of the Rule is “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah [first five books of the Bible]; the rest is explanation. Go and learn.”

The Golden Rule of the New Testament was revolutionary, nevertheless; the reason for this is that it is to be applied to all, across all cultures and to both the high and the lowly. This is implicit in Jesus’s statement and made very explicit in the writings of Paul. Previous versions were easier to follow, because they were interpreted to apply “within the tribe” (even Hillel’s).

The Golden Rule is related to one of the two commandments that Jesus gave us; in Mark 12:31 we are told, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is very hard for us, because it asks us not to just treat others well externally, but also implores us to treat them well internally. The first step, clearly, is to follow the Golden Rule, but how do we turn good treatment into love? We have control over our actions, but control over our feelings is elusive. I personally feel that WE can’t, but that we should continue our good actions towards others, be cognizant and corrective of our thoughts about others, and have faith that God will turn our actions and thoughts into love. This is supported in 1 John 4:19 which says that “We love because He first loved us”, and I might add that His love is unconditional.

Jim