Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: Discover why the golden rule existed in Buddhism and Hinduism long before Jesus but was always stated in the negative, and how Jesus turned it on its head by making it the first positive command to actively do good, not just avoid evil.
What?
I read the Bible. I read it every day. I read in the scriptures. I got a new study Bible maybe close to a year ago. When I do my study time regularly, I read a chapter, then I read the study notes, then I read the chapter again, and then I move into my quiet time, my meditation and prayer time. It’s just so peaceful and it just feels good to do that.
I find that a lot of times when I read it that second time, I discover something I didn’t catch. When I’m reading the notes underneath, I discover something I didn’t. I look up “Oh yeah, that’s there. I didn’t read it that way. I didn’t understand it that way.” That’s a great way to read the Bible.
Today, I came across the golden rule. The footnote was amazing because it said the golden rule had been stated long before Jesus Christ in Buddhism and Hindu, but it was always stated in the negative. What you would not do to yourself, do not do to others.
When it’s stated in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 verse 12 – “In everything therefore, treat people the same way you would want them to treat you, for this is the law and the prophets.”
The footnotes for this said that this was the first time it was turned to the positive. The Hindu and Buddhist tradition was “Don’t do something evil to someone else that you wouldn’t do to yourself, don’t do anything that you wouldn’t do to yourself to someone else,” where Jesus turns that on its head and kinda heads in the other direction.
Why?
I share this because Kingdom Family Leaders often think Christianity just adds a few new rules to existing wisdom. But Jesus didn’t just refine the golden rule – He revolutionized it. The difference between “don’t do evil to others” and “actively do good to others” is love.
When I read the chapter, then the study notes, then the chapter again, I discover things I didn’t catch the first time. This pattern of reading keeps revealing new depths. Today’s discovery about the golden rule from Jesus being the first positive variation of it hit me hard.
Lesson
The golden rule existed in Buddhism and Hinduism long before Jesus, but it was always stated in the negative: “What you would not do to yourself, do not do to others.” That’s an avoidance ethic – don’t do evil, don’t harm, don’t cause suffering you wouldn’t want for yourself.
Jesus turned it on its head in Matthew 7:12: “In everything therefore, treat people the same way you would want them to treat you.” This was the first time it was turned to the positive. Not just avoid doing evil – actively do good. Not just don’t harm others – actively serve and bless them.
The difference is enormous. Negative golden rule: “Don’t steal from others because you wouldn’t want to be stolen from.” Positive golden rule: “Give generously to others because you would want generosity shown to you.” One is passive avoidance. One is active pursuit.
“For this is the law and the prophets” – Jesus says this positive command sums up everything. Not just avoiding evil, but actively pursuing good for others. That’s Kingdom ethic versus world ethic.
Reading the chapter, then study notes, then chapter again reveals these depths. The second reading catches what the first missed. The study notes point out things you didn’t see. Then reading it again with that new understanding transforms how you see it.
Apply
This week, take one relationship where you’ve been operating from the negative golden rule – not doing harm, avoiding conflict, staying neutral. Flip it to the positive golden rule: actively do for them what you would want done for you. Not just don’t criticize – actively encourage. Not just don’t neglect – actively serve. Write down one specific way to turn your avoidance into active good.
You be blessed!
