The Golden Rule

 [Luke 6:31-36}

The title of this article and of this passage of Holy Scripture conjures images of that which is pure and blessed.

And it is true.  But often that which is pure and blessed is not easy.  Living according to the “Golden Rule” is fraught with difficulty—from the purely human (and NOT spiritual) perspective.

What is this ‘rule’?

Paraphrased from today’s Gospel reading, it says, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Well, THAT doesn’t sound so difficult.  I mean, the demands I would make on anyone else seem to me at least to be minimal.  This should be easy, right?

Let me urge all not to rush to such a judgment.  For the Lord continues with the more detailed instructions.

The first of these is to love those who are difficult to love.  Loving those who already love you carries no special effort, nor therefore a special blessing.  Jesus is telling us we need to love that guy (or gal) who throws trash in our yard, or the co-worker who says untruths about us behind our backs.  Yes—love THESE people, and others like them!

Jesus continues.

Be kind to those who are unkind to you.  I suppose it’s a corollary to the previous admonishment, but it calls to attention our need to not rush to judgment.  In fact, not to judge at all.  It teaches us that we are to show kindness and respect to the person who wants to shout us into submission.  And in so doing, not to engage in shouting in return, but show the divine kindness that Jesus is encouraging us to see in Him as He deals with those who are HIS enemies.  How many encounters with the Pharisees and Sadducees did Jesus have in which they sought to trick Him into saying something they could use to prove Him wrong at something, anything?  And how many times did Jesus respond to them in anger?  Did you say, “Never”?

Finally, Jesus encourages us to not view things placed into our hands by His loving care for us to be personal possessions.  Instead, He says, Lend, hoping for nothing in return. 

“You mean, just GIVE to someone?  What if what they want is important to me?”

Well then, try to find a reason to make it less important.  Instead of worrying about when they will return what we loan them, if it's that important to you, perhaps you could ask the Lord to restore what you’ve freely loaned—in His time and as He chooses.

And what are we to expect if we conform to the Lord’s instructions for us?

Jesus says, You will be children of the Most High. 

“I thought we were already God’s children.” 

We are His creation.  We become His children when we conform ourselves to the instructions He gives to us.  The Prodigal left the Father and lived a sin-filled life.  The Father never counted him outside His love.  But the Prodigal placed himself there, segregated himself from that Love until?  Until he repented and returned to the Father’s love.  It took effort, labor.

So it is with us.  We must strive to conform ourselves with the instructions the Lord has left for us.  Then we will truly be children of the Most High!