The Golden Rule

This story occurred a few years ago when I was attending community college.

We had a fire drill on a bitterly cold day while it was drizzling. I was cold and people were walking all over the place as I was trying to get inside after we were clear to go back in. I can’t handle cold weather well: my hand gets too cold to drive correctly and it was almost to that point this time. It goes without saying that I was not in the most Christian mood at that point.

There was a student who I knew, only by his first name, Kenny. I barely knew him, nonetheless, he would always speak to me when he saw me. He could probably look intimidating if he wanted to, but he was very nice. So I’m stuck in this mob and I sensed a large presence behind me, it turned out to be Kenny. He cleared the sidewalk of people with his large voice to help me get inside out of the cold.

That is one the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I thanked him and he just said, “No problem.” I don’t think he really understood how big of a deal that action meant to me.

I do not know if Kenny is a Christian or not, but this is a great example of how we as Christians should act.

Jesus tells us 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.”  Some people call this the Golden Rule, it’s also called the Great Commandment. This is one of the first things we are taught as children, but it’s easy to forget how important it is to live by this principle.

Kenny demonstrated a form of love, what the ancient Greeks called agape, which translates as love. The word love can be used to mean a few different things in English. The ancient Greeks, on the other hand, had a multiple words for love: philia (brotherly love), eros (erotic love), and storge (natural or instinctual affection, as of a parent for a child).

The Christian meaning of agape is “the love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind.” This is the love we should have for all people. God doesn’t expect us to be friends with everyone, He just expects us to be respectful to everyone.

Agape love goes beyond just our neighbors, it extends to our enemies. Our enemies are our neighbors and creations of God also.

But wait. We’re supposed to love our friends and hate our enemies, right? Our culture teaches us this sometimes: if you’re a member of one political party, you’re supposed to hate the other party; and if somebody wrongs you, then you get back at them. This was the belief of the culture in Jesus’ time too.

Matthew 5:43-47, however, Jesus teaches a different message.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”

Jesus references the law from Leviticus when he instructs us to love our enemies. Leviticus 19:18, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

This kind of love does not come to us easily, we naturally want to hate our enemies due to our fallen state. We have to make an effort to love our enemies, that means it’s not an emotional feeling. Loving our enemies is something we have to make ourselves do, which is difficult for us. If you make the effort to do this, then your actions will eventually follow suit.

Jesus was making this point when he said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”  It’s easier to love those who love you and hate those who hate you, which is why everybody does it.

Finally, Jesus loves those who hate him. On the cross Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) After all that had been done to him Jesus still loved the people who cheered for his death and the people that physically killed him. Christ is the example we should look to.

In summary, we need to love our neighbors as ourselves and we need to love our enemies. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but it’s the right thing to do.