The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” has Christian, Buddhist, Confucian, and ancient Egyptian origins. I like the Christian part the best. Today we read that Jesus said, “stop judging and you will not be judged, stop condemning and you will not be condemned” as the Christian version with a promise and a blessing added on to it in the next two verses. It seems much more compelling to me that way. The first part suggests what we might expect in our relationships with others. That is certainly important, but we know our human interactions are not always so dependable or just. So much so that many people have abandoned the Golden Rule out of lack of trust in others. And our society suffers for that.

In my reflection today, I can see a much more generous and hopeful interpretation in the words of Jesus. Jesus does not tell us that it is about the reliable goodness in other people that should bring us to be merciful to those who transgress us or are different from us. It is about the goodness and mercy of our Father in forgiving us that should ply our hearts and minds to diligence in showing mercy and in forgiving others. And there is more! Jesus calls us to a very radical generosity in our dealings with others as an encouragement to us. Not only are we to forgive, but we are to go even further and give gifts to those we forgive. Jesus takes it all to a higher level. We cannot just forgive someone begrudgingly. We must do it generously. Think of the many positive ways such practices would affect our society! We should not think about what we can get in return from others, but what God has done for us. We are reminded of that when we read the Old Testament and Psalm for today. That is why we Christians should practice our faith as outwardly as we do inwardly. We can change the world with these practices! But for today, Jesus tells us to think about how it will affect us to get our hearts on the right track and motivated to act. Who does not need a good measure of blessings poured into our laps!