The 10 Commandments and most of the teachings of Jesus were focused on how we treat other people. The last 6 Commandments – Honor parents, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t bear false witness, don’t covet – are all about how we should be in our daily interactions. For Jesus, it was mostly about doing to others the same way you would like to have done to you. When asked what the most important of the hundreds of laws was, Jesus did not hesitate: Love God with all you have and love your neighbor as you love yourself. He followed it with this: EVERY law and prophetic word hangs on this triple commandment (Mt. 22). Drop the mic, Jesus.
Of course, at one point, the lawyer who was kibbitzing with Jesus pushed the conversation by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10). To which Jesus tells one of His greatest stories, the story about the Samaritan (who were very much at odds with Jews) who took care of a badly injured person when two religious men did not. Jesus had no problem throwing shade at people who tried to outdo or trick Him. For Jesus, how we treat one another is central to just about everything He taught. Sin against others was far more of an issue than sinning against God. And, by the way, Jesus didn’t make this stuff up – He got it from the Hebrew Scriptures. The so-called Golden Rule is almost universal among religious traditions. Because God is God no matter what name we use, and God knows just how inconsiderate we can be to one another.
So – you don’t want someone’s religion forced on you? Don’t force yours on them. You don’t want someone else to control what you do with your body? Don’t control theirs. In fact, almost everything modern day Evangelicals and Fundamentalists are doing to others is the opposite of the teachings of Jesus, and a sin against people, which, I think, is also a sin against God. We cannot say we love God and hate our neighbor (1 John 4). We cannot judge others without being judged by God in the same way. If we want God to forgive us, we have to forgive others. My personal take is that God cares far more about our treatment of others that our treatment of God, because we are no threat to God, but we can be a force of destructiveness to others. If we use our power to abuse people, we put ourselves in a state of gracelessness. Matthew 25 defines it best: If we don’t treat others like they are Jesus, we are toast. Enough said.
Prayer – Holy God, we can be so selfish, ignoring the needs of others. Teach us to be better. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Golden Rule” by Sherry Harradence.