Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12 (CSB)
Many people call Matthew 7:12 the Golden Rule.
Other teachers said something close to the Golden Rule before Jesus. A famous Jewish teacher named Hillel said, “What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else.” But Hillel’s saying only tells us what not to do.
Jesus says the Golden Rule the positive way. He tells us what to do. We should think about what we’d want someone to do for us. Then we should do that for them.
Jesus’ rule is much harder. We can keep “don’t hurt people” by staying home. We can’t keep Jesus’ rule without getting up and helping.
“The Law and the Prophets” means the Old Testament, God’s Word before Jesus came. Jesus says this one rule sums up how God’s Word tells us to treat people.
So what would we want? If we were sick, we’d want someone to call. If someone we love had died, we’d want a friend to sit with us. If we messed up at work, we’d want patience. So we should call someone who’s sick. We should go sit with a friend who’s grieving. We should be patient with others. And we should do it even if they never do the same for us.
Jesus lived the Golden Rule better than anyone. He said He came “to serve, and to give his life” (Matthew 20:28). He died on the cross for our sins, before we ever did anything for Him.