The Golden Rule

        Our Lord closed His previous point (asking, seeking, and knocking) by stating, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (v. 11). This observation is necessary because verse 12 opens with “therefore” or “so” (ESV): “So [oun, consequently] whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (v. 12). In other words, we must treat others with same consideration that we expect from our Heavenly Father. This is how Jesus applies the Golden Rule. Since the Father gives good things to those who ask Him, Jesus’ followers are also to take care to imitate the Father in their spheres of influence.

This section relates back to the key verse of the sermon: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20). Those seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness (6:33) must be held to God’s standard, which is perfect righteousness (5:48). That is why I believe that all the verses (12–14) form one unit. Ephesians 5:1 supports this interpretation: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

The issue that confronts us is developed through the whole passage. It is the root of all hypocrisy. Why does a person seek to impose corrective measures onto the lives of others when they have their own issues that have not been corrected? The issue is the flesh (self). Grace must be secured to correct one’s own life so that a true and meaningful ministry of loving correction can avail in the lives of others. That is where ask, seek, and knock (vv. 7–10) come in. We need grace that only God can give to put flesh to death. The Lord appeals to the inherent desire of parents, even those controlled by self (evil) to give good gifts to their children (v. 9). God, who is perfect in goodness, also gives good gifts. Consequently, whatever you wish that God should do for you, do for others. That is the argument, and it destroys the shallow reading of those who misquote Jesus' “Judge not” (7:1).

New Covenant kingdom citizens are priests (1 Peter 2:5, 9). Old Testament priests taught the law of God (2 Chronicles 15:3), and, thus, Jesus instructs that selfless service to others, fulfills the law and the prophets (v. 12; review 5:17–20). If these kingdom priests are to obtain the grace and enablement to obey the Golden Rule, they must enter the narrow gate and hard way (vv. 13, 14). Self cannot and will not do this. The way is hard that leads to life—constricted, not difficult (Matthew 11:29, 30)—which is contrasted with the easy way, that is, spacious and broad, a way that leads to destruction.