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The golden rule for all human interactions

October 11, 2024
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Daily Scripture

Matthew 7:1-12

“Do Unto Others” campaign
This week, after the first sermon in the “Do Unto Others” series, we’re reading nearly all of Jesus’ “platform,” the Sermon on the Mount. Daily readings are a bit longer than usual, but we believe you’ll find it valuable to have an overview of the principles Jesus said build the best possible life.

1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 You’ll receive the same judgment you give. Whatever you deal out will be dealt out to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter that’s in your brother’s or sister’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother or sister, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when there’s a log in your eye? 5 You deceive yourself! First take the log out of your eye, and then you’ll see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s or sister’s eye. 6 Don’t give holy things to dogs, and don’t throw your pearls in front of pigs. They will stomp on the pearls, then turn around and attack you.
7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets.

Daily Reflection & Prayer

Our world is more connected and sometimes more divided, especially when it comes to politics. That makes Jesus’ famous “Golden Rule” so important now. It’s a simple idea – treat others how you’d want to be treated – but it has the power to bring people together, even when we disagree. As we face a flood of divisive political messages, Jesus reminded us that kindness and understanding can make a real difference in our communities and our country.

  • Various thinkers wrote “negative” forms of the Golden Rule (e.g. “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you”). Scholar William Barclay said Jesus shifted that: “The attitude which says, ‘I must do no harm to people’ is quite different from the attitude which says, ‘I must do my best to help people.’” * How might making the “Golden Rule,” not criticism, the way you see others change your dealings this week? When has someone else treated you the Golden Rule way?
  • Taking responsibility for your feelings, words, and actions instead of blaming others can be hard. Yet a healthy, authentic community depends on your ability to “take the log out of your eye.” What “log(s)” do you wrestle with–what issues keep you from living as Jesus taught? Jesus used the analogy of earthly parents giving good gifts to their children to illustrate God’s even greater desire to love you. How can you more fully reflect the grace God shows you in the way you treat others?
Prayer

Lord Jesus, when you met anyone, your eyes were full of love, not contempt. Set me free from the addictive feeling of superiority when I find a “sin” in someone else and fill my vision with the love and grace you extend to me. Amen.

GPS Insights

Picture of Darren Lippe

Darren Lippe

Darren Lippe serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader & Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.

 

With all this talk about discord & disagreement, I thought it might be a good idea to “visit” with Mrs. Gahn, an expert on mathematics.

DL: Mrs. Gahn, thank you for your time.

Mrs. Gahn: My pleasure. Please call me Polly.

DL: Thanks. I’m a little nervous about this interview. Math is not my strength. I remember my senior year in college; I was struggling with my homework in my “Calculus for Business Students” class, which I had put off to my last semester. I asked a fraternity brother of mine, who was a freshman in engineering, for his help. He looked at the problems & asked, “Um, is this a remedial class?” Sadly, I’m not the only one who struggles with math. I asked my neighbor from Germany if he knew what 3 x 3 equaled. He replied, “No.” 1

Polly Gahn: (Staring.) Um. Anyway. So, you wanted me to talk about division. Well, division is one of the 4 basic operations in mathematics, along with multiplication, addition, & subtraction. The number being divided is the dividend & the end result is the quotient. In essence, division is the process of repetitive subtraction as we seek smaller & smaller quotients. Division is a fantastic tool to help us equally divide numbers. 
However, in social settings it can be harmful as we constantly divide people into categories like “Us vs. Them.” Once we make this distinction, we are then free to make assumptions about each group. Amazingly, we always see favorable attributes in our “Us” crowd & think the very worst of anyone stuck in the “Them” crowd. Sadly, we can even repeat this division operation over & over again to the point where have whittled our circle of approved friends to a ridiculously small number.
While we may be tempted to initially agree with the lyrics to the song, “One” from the musical A Chorus Line, that it is a “singular sensation” or a “thrilling combination,” 2 I would gently suggest that based on surveys showing that feelings of loneliness & isolation are on the rise that maybe Three Dog Night’s description is more apt: “One is the loneliest number.” 3

DL: Indeed. I read an article where nearly 60% of Americans express feelings of loneliness or being left out. It’s shocking to think that 10/6 people are feeling this way. 4 So, how might we counter this tendency?

Polly Gahn: (Staring.) Um. The inverse of division is multiplication, where we seek to take 2 unique numerals & add them together a specified number of times to reach a quotient that becomes larger & larger as we repeat the operation. A quick review of any multiplication table can demonstrate how quickly the quotient can grow.
If we apply this operation to our relationships & interactions, where we are constantly seeking common ground or similar interests as opposed to “why we shouldn’t be friends with them” we might be stunned at the satisfying growth of our own “table” of friends.

DL: This is similar to the advice we gave to our sons when they were in middle school. We encouraged them that as they met new companions who might, momentarily, have more in common with them than their previous pals, that they should look to their new acquaintances as being added to their group not replacing their circle of old buddies.
Further, if we believe that “diversity is our strength,” then being around other people with worldviews & political views that differ from our own should also be of great importance to us.

Polly Gahn: Exactly. As the Beatles wisely noted, in order to get by in life, “We’re all going to need a little help from our friends.” 5 And not all of our friends need to come with some “seal of approval” of authorized views that we agree with 100%. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to go teach my Geometry class.

DL: You know, ironically, I seem to recall being pretty good at Geometry. Or was it Geography? Ask me a Geometry question.

Polly Gahn: Really? Okay. What is the sum of the angles of an Isosceles Triangle? 6

DL: (Staring blankly.) Nope. It was Geography. Thanks for your time.

1Sigh.  This archaic joke plays on the German word “nein” for “no” – Editor.
2Hamlisch, Marvin “One” A Chorus Line
3Nilsson, Harry “One” Three Dog Night
4This may be a transposition error of the proper fraction 6/10 for an attempt at humor. But then again, maybe not – Editor.
5McCartney, Paul “With a Little Help from my Friends” The Beatles
6180 degrees. Sigh – Editor.

© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References

* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 1, Chapters 1–10 (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 276.