Pentecost Week 25 - The Golden Rule

Christ Church Elders

2 days ago

3 min read

Scripture Reading

*Explain the context: Today we will read another of Jesus’ famous teachings from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7:12

Big Idea (For Parents)

Jesus gave us the Golden Rule so that we always know how God wants us to treat others.

Family Reflection

(Read aloud or summarize)

Given Pentecost season’s focus on biblical teaching, we’re looking today at another of Jesus’ most famous teachings: “The Golden Rule.”

Sometimes we might feel confused about how God wants us to treat another person. After all, God gave hundreds of laws to his people in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament we have many more commands and teachings of Jesus and his apostles! How could we possibly think through all of those teachings to know what to do in any given moment? And worse still, what if our situation isn’t one for which God has specifically given detailed instructions in the Bible?!

Jesus is smart, so, in the Golden Rule, he gave us a command that applies in every possible situation for our treatment of other people. In any and every scenario, we can know that we’re obeying God if we follow the Golden Rule. We can simply consider how we want others to think about, speak to, or act towards us, and we can do the same for them. It’s incredibly simple, but sometimes incredibly hard to do!

One important thing to remember as we seek to follow the Golden Rule is that Jesus says that it sums up the whole of God’s instructions for how to treat others up to that point—“the Law and the Prophets.” As we’ve seen in our study of the Ten Commandments, God gave his Law to people he had already loved and saved. In fact, God loved and saved them so that they could keep his life-giving law. Thus, even when it’s hard to treat others the way we want to be treated, we can remember, “God saved me for this, so I know it’s good!”

Discussion Questions

(Choose 1-2. Adjust for age.)

1- Share about a time in the last week in which you treated someone else the way you want to be treated.

2- Share about a time in the last week in which you did not treat someone else the way you want to be treated. If the other person is in your family and you have not confessed and asked for forgiveness, do so now.

3- When you’ve broken the Golden Rule, is it usually because you thought about how you’d want to be treated and nevertheless chose the treat someone else differently, or is it usually because you just didn’t think about it at all?

Practice—The Golden Ruler

Jesus’ teaching of the Golden Rule is closely related to his teaching just before it in Matthew 7:2 in which Jesus said, “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” In other words, God will treat—or “measure”—us the way we treat—or “measure”—others, so we should “measure” others the way we want God to “measure” us!

Another word for a “measure” is a “ruler.” As a family, obtain a gold-colored ruler (or “measure”) somehow: for example, you could take one of your rulers and paint it gold, or wrap and tape golden paper around it, or print (or draw) a ruler and color it gold. Once you have your “Golden Ruler,” place it in a prominent area of your home for the coming week. Every time you see it, remember why it’s there: “I should treat—or ‘measure’—others the way I want God to treat—or ‘measure’—me.” Check in during the week to share any stories about how well you are “measuring up” so far.

Close in prayer thanking God for having already saved us through faith in Jesus so that we can obey his Law, and ask for grace to obey the Golden Rule this week.