Do unto others as you have them do unto you

By Mark Mast
RR Ministerial

We all know the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Luke 6:31). Yet, how many of us are willing to be “servants” that God can use to that extent? In order for a community to flourish, there needs to be an overwhelming sense of putting the needs of others before our own.
Looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), we are given great motivation to follow a “servant-leader” model and become individuals who are marked with Christ-like compassion for others. In the parable, Jesus describes a number of different philosophies toward life. There are the thieves, whose outlook on life can best be described as, “What’s yours, is mine, so I’ll take it.” Next, there is the attitude of two “religious” men, “What’s mine, is mine, so I’ll keep it.” Then there is the viewpoint of the inn-keeper, “What’s mine, is yours, but you’ll pay for it.” And finally there is the approach of the lowly, despised Samaritan. Does he grasp for what is not his? No. Does he hoard his possessions and keep them to himself? No. Does he take advantage of people in need and charge them excessive prices for his services? No. What he does, is go out of his way to extend a helping hand to assist a man who from every standpoint is his enemy. The Samaritan’s perspective on life is simply this, “What’s mine, is yours, so I’ll share it.”
Consider for a moment the different place our world would be if we all adopted that principle toward life!
But wait, there’s still one more viewpoint to consider. That is the attitude of Jesus Himself. Philippians 2:5-8 tells us, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
Jesus demonstrated servant hood to a degree that defies human comprehension. In a word, His philosophy toward life was, “What’s Mine, is yours, so I’ll die for you.”
Are you willing to serve others to that extent? May our community reflect this resolve as we lay down our lives for the betterment of each other. As we do so, we will quickly discover that the Bible is right when it says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). In the case of Jesus, we are told, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).