Text: Matthew 7:9-14
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
What about Jesus calling us “Evil” ~ though you are evil.
Jesus’ choice of words is interesting. He didn’t use the Greek word referring to an evil character. Neither did he use the word meaning degenerate. In fact, instead of translating the word “evil,” it could refer to annoyance. We could correctly translate Jesus’ words like this…
“Even though you sometimes find your children’s requests irritating, you still give them good gifts.”
Q. Is there anyone who interacts with children unable to identify with this?
Jesus refers to the hassle of parenting and how much better a parent the Heavenly Father is compared to us. He is not calling people wicked or degenerate; instead, he recognises our inherent goodness towards our children, even during stress or reluctance. But, as good as we may be to our kids, our Heavenly Father is so much better!
Anyway, back to our text:
Jesus summarises his statements about God’s goodness outshining human goodness by quoting what has come to be known as the golden rule…
So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (I.e. The entire Bible)
Title: The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Titles in the Bible have been added by those who publish the Bible. They can help us understand what we’re reading but they can be misleading. Today’s text is a classic example. Let’s read it without the title…
So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Many people interpret these verses as referring to heaven and hell:
Most people go to hell: wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Only a few go to heaven: small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
What a shame!
But I don’t believe this is what Jesus is teaching here. He doesn’t mention heaven or hell in these verses. He is teaching about the best way for his followers to live so they live Jesus’ Way.
The golden rule, do to others what you would have them do to you, is the small gate and narrow road.
In fact, Jesus words to Enter through the narrow gate, could be translated enter through THIS narrow gate. (“The” is translated 31 times in the NT as “This”).
Enter through THIS narrow gate.
I.e. the narrow gate of living out the golden rule in daily life. Of treating others the same way you want them to treat you.
Narrow (Gk) = a closely-defined path that God ordains us to travel. It’s the Jesus’ Way; the golden rule.
There are lots of other ways you may choose to live and interact with others. All those choices are wide and broad and invariably don’t work out so well. They sometimes lead to destruction. That word, rather than referring to hell, speaks about waste or loss.
In other words, when we choose not to treat others the same way we want them to treat us; when we are unkind or judgmental or short tempered or we gossip about others, friendships are lost, and relationships are wasted.
In the workplace we may lose a customer or a business deal, or experience unnecessary friction with a colleague all because we chose the broad road rather than the narrow one.
The golden rule is one of the oldest truths known to humanity. Jesus taught it but it predates Him by almost two thousand years and is found in every world religion. It’s the ultimate key to a fruitful and satisfying life…
Jesus explains The Golden Rule in the Sermon on the Mount. But before we look at it in more detail let’s go back to when this truth was first taught…
1. The Golden Rule in History
About 2000 BC in the Egyptian story, The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, “Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do.”
1440 BC: The Hebrew Scriptures: “Don’t oppress a foreigner, for you well know how it feels to be a foreigner, since you were foreigners yourselves in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9) and “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)
Various philosophers then picked up the Golden Rule…
Socrates: “Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you.” (Greece; 5th century BC)
Plato: “May I do to others as I would that they should do to me.” (Greece; 4th century BC)
Aristotle: “As the virtuous man is to himself, he is to his friend also, for his friend is another self” (Greece; 4th century BC)
Philo of Alexandria: “Don’t do to another what you’d be unwilling to have done to you” (Jewish; 1st Century BC)
2. The Golden Rule in World Religions
The twelve classical world religions all include the Golden Rule.
Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary” (Talmud, Shabbat 31a.)
The Talmud is the primary source of Jewish theology.
Jesus: this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
I.e. the entire Bible.
Buddhism: “a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?” (Samyutta NIkaya v. 353)
Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you” (Mahabharata 5:1517)
Islam: “None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.” (Number 13 of Imam “Al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths)
Shintoism: “The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form” (Munetada Kurozumi)
Taoism: “To those who are good to me, I am good; to those who are not good to me, I am also good. Thus, all get to be good.”
Zoroastrianism: “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others” (Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29)
Baha’i: “If your eyes be turned towards justice, choose for your neighbour that which you choose for yourself” (Baha’u’llah)
Jainism: “A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated” (Sutrakritanga 1.11.33)
Sikhism: “Precious like jewels are the minds of all. To hurt them is not at all good. If you desire your Beloved, then do not hurt anyone’s heart” (Guru Aranj Devji 259, Guru Granth Sahib)
Confucianism: “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you” (6th Century BC)
3. The Golden Rule in the Bible
In the first century AD, Jesus taught the Golden Rule to his followers. In Luke’s account (6:31, 37-38) of Jesus’ sermon, he provides some practical ways that we may walk on the narrow road that leads to life.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Do not judge others, so that others will not judge you.
Q. Who likes to be judged?
Judge (Gk) = to pick out by separating.
Do not condemn others, and others will not condemn you.
Condemn = to pass sentence upon
Forgive others, and others will forgive you.
Forgive = to pardon, to set free or release
Give to others, and others will give to you.
The implication here is that instead of giving judgement and condemnation, the Golden Rule encourages us to be generous with our forgiveness and kindness. When we live that kind of life others will return the same to us… “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
And so, to live Jesus’ way, to pass through the small gate and walk on the narrow road, we simply ask ourselves in any situation:
The Golden Question…
How would I want to be treated?
The Golden Outcome…
That’s how I’m going to live!
Discussion Questions
Read Luke 6:27-38 and discuss the various practical examples Jesus gives of The Golden Rule. Share ways that you have applied these principles in the past. How can you apply them in situations you’re facing right now?
The first time The Golden Rule was embraced by any religion was in 1440 BC. The Hebrew Scriptures put it this way: “Don’t oppress a foreigner, for you well know how it feels to be a foreigner, since you were foreigners yourselves in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9) and “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Discuss these ancient Scriptures and share ways that these can be applied to situations today.
The first century Roman philosopher Seneca wrote, “Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors.” Discuss this and apply the truth to your workplace or any situation where there is a hierarchy.
Taoism teaches, “To those who are good to me, I am good; to those who are not good to me, I am also good. Thus, all get to be good.” The temptation we all face is to be good to those who are good to us and unkind to those who are unkind. Are you facing a situation right now (or have done in the past) where you’ve faced this temptation? What did you do? What was the outcome?
Modern psychology has discovered that when someone does something nice for you, you will have a deep-rooted psychological urge to do something nice in return. Is this your experience? Share examples.
Discuss this statement in the light of Luke 6:32-36, ““If your intent is to give so you get something back then your motive is wrong”
In His “Agape” God has given us His undeserved, sacrificial, no-strings-attached, self-giving love. Jesus died for us “while we were yet sinners.” How should this truth impact the way we treat those who haven’t yet come to Christ?
Read and discuss 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Galatians 6:7-9; Philippians 4:18-19, Matthew 6:33; James 3:18.