The Golden Goal Series

(Asking the audience) What Is Golden Rule? “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.” That’s a simple and yet powerful statement that has caught the imagination of the world, and it’s almost as if nobody (before Jesus) had ever thought about that!

ILLUS: Several years ago, there was a school district in Richmond, Virginia that decided to sell 1000 of their used notebook computers for $50 apiece. On the morning of the sale, people began lining up at 1:30 a.m. By 7 o’clock that morning, the crowd was estimated to be 5,500 people (for 1000 computers). When the gates opened, the crowd turned into a violent stampede. There were people getting thrown to the pavement, being beaten with folding chairs, and some nearly driven over. Seventeen people were injured …and four of those were taken to the hospital. Witnesses reported that people threw themselves forward screaming and pushing each other. One man said he was one of those people. He pushed and he shoved and he used a folding chair to beat back anyone who tried to cut in front of him. He said, “I took my chair and threw it over my shoulder and I went, ‘Bam.’ They were getting in front of me - and I was there a lot earlier than them - and so I thought it was just to do what I did.” (AP $50 Laptop Sale Turns Into a Free-For-All, 8/17/05)

It’s almost as if these people had perverted the golden rule to say: “Do unto others FIRST before they do unto you!”

Down through history, people have lived as if this was the ways things should. Someone commented that “It's ruthlessly competitive out there, so you've got to fight to get yours.”

Another noted that: “Either you learn how to play the game and win or you will get dominated and lose and be left in the dust.”

Somebody even made it about Evolution and the survival of the fittest: “Some species compete with each other for mates and resources. The stronger animal will dominate the weaker animal. Some species thrive, and some go extinct. Humans are the same. They compete for power, wealth, mates, status, etc...”

And yet Jesus said - that’s not the way I want YOU to live. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you! THAT is how Jesus wants us to live. So, the question is: how do we do that? How do we live our lives according to the Golden Rule?

Well, the first thing we need to recognize is - the Golden Rule is not just a good idea, it’s GOD’S idea. This is not only how WE should behave - it’s how God behaves. Jesus said: “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for (God) is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:35-36

Do unto others… as GOD does unto others. He’s our example. As He shows mercy, we should show mercy. We want to grow up to be like our Father!

Now, it’s interesting, much of the ancient world had their own version of the Golden Rule. They’re called the “Silver Rules” because they’re not quite like the Golden Rule… but they’re close.

• Confucius (some 500 years before Jesus) said: “Do NOT unto others what you would NOT wish done to yourself.”

• The Buddhists have a saying, “Putting oneself in the place of others, kill NOT, nor cause to kill.”

• Hinduism teaches - “Do NAUGHT unto others which could cause you pain if done to you.” Mahabharata, 5, 1517

Now, notice, these sayings have one significant difference from the Golden Rule. They all (basically) say “DO NOT DO unto others… what you would NOT want them to do to you.” Essentially, they’re all saying: Leave folks alone; Don’t touch them; Don’t bother them; Don’t upset them; You live in your corner - let them live in theirs - and everybody will be happy. The only problem with that is - that’s not what Jesus said. Jesus did not say “DON’T do”. He said: “DO do unto others.”

On the internet I’ve seen folks try to explain what Golden Rule meant to them.

One person said “If you are unkind to others it will catch up to you and cause others to be unkind to you as well.”

Another person said it this way: “If we want others to be kind to us, we must be kind to them. If we want others to treat us with respect, we must treat them with respect. If we want others to be patient with us, we must be patient with them.”