Doing Unto Others

Doing unto others

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."

In these days of forgotten manners, ignored considerations, broken promises, general rudeness and intolerance, here is a scripture that does “exactly what it says in the label.” We had to go to the supermarket today. Now Saturday here in the UK can be a busy day, but in our wee country town of 15,000-odd souls, we are a pretty friendly bunch. We engage with each other, strangers or not. We hold doors open for the ladies. We help the elderly and or infirm. We often do these things with our best winning smile – because, actually, we mean it.

We don’t often go to the supermarket on a Saturday and now I remember why. Today, for whatever reason – snow, cold, raw wind – whatever – manners and consideration got left behind at home. The car park was a bear pit even though the supermarket staff had worked extremely hard to clear all the snow so as to reveal the parking lines. Shopping trolleys and carts were left all over the place, frequently sliding into parked cars, and people were scurrying all over the place with no thought for anyone else or even for the traffic which was trundling around seeking a parking slot or trying to escape.

Inside the store was little different. I got hammered by shoppers plunging their trolleys into my ankles – three times and never a word of apology. People were pushing and shoving to get to wherever they wanted to be without so much as a ‘by your leave’. Often, aisles were impassable owing to groups just standing talking or just standing apparently doing nothing. Kids were everywhere, with mum or dad letting them run amok. It was certainly no safe place for elderly ladies to be tottering round seeking their own or a neighbours things for them.

It seemed like practice day for Armageddon.

When we got home, I found this verse in my email in-tray. 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." My first thought was that we could have done with a bit of that in the supermarket this morning. So I analysed it a little bit.

“So in everything, “ – which part of everything was missing today? Well – everything, really.

“do to others what you would have them do to you, “ Here we have the crux of Jesus teaching. Love your neighbour, good Samaritan, dying to self, carrying my cross – all these things are summed up in doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

“for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Yes, it does sum it all up quite well really. I looked in the Old Testament, even in Leviticus, and I couldn’t find anything to better this motto of doing unto others etc. I looked in the New Testament, and everywhere I found ‘instructions for living the Christian life’, the words all seemed to point to this one thing.

If we really, truly want to BE the church and LIVE the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then treating our fellow men as we would want them to treat us seems a pretty good directive to me. It is what may differentiate us from those who don’t believe as we do. It is what may show the world the love of Jesus.

What do you think?