What is the meaning of th proverb Do unto others as you would have others do unto you?

Answer 1

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is what's commonly called 'the Golden Rule', and it was part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

(Matthew 7:12), (Luke 6:31)

As noted, those who want to follow in Christ's footsteps are to treat others the way they THEMSELVES would like to be treated. Think about it. How do YOU like to be treated? Each of us would like others to recognize and respect OUR individuality as they treat us kindly, compassionately, fairly, humanely, lovingly, politely and respectfully, so we are to go out of our way to treat OTHERS with this same consideration, recognizing what their individual needs are. This is not always easy to do, as it takes more effort to try and understand where other people are coming from, but showing this insight can have a profound effect others. Even when people are not kind to us, Christians will always try to react to situations according to God's law, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves(Matthew 22:39) and 'return evil for evil to NO one'(Romans 12:17)

Only if we follow The Bible and treat fellow humans "the way we would like people to treat us", can we prove that we are true followers of Jesus Christ. Matthew 7:24-27.

Romans 12:17-19, 1 Peter 2:21-23, Matthew 22:39, Romans 13:10, Romans 12:10, Mark 9:50, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:12, Matthew 5:44, Romans 12:21.

Another view. This is one of the most difficult precepts to understand and to live by. The sage Hillel expresses the same idea more accessibly thus: Do not do unto others whatever you don't like done to you. Furthermore, Hillel maintains that this is the entire Law, all the rest being commentary.

Answer 2

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," often called "The Golden Rule," is actually a misquote of both instances where this teaching is recorded in the gospels. Here are the passages, from the New King James translation: Matthew 7:12 - Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Luke 6:31 - And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. The teaching serves to help one fulfill the "second great commandment" - to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). How is that accomplished? By considering them FIRST. Whereas the "Golden Rule" begins with DO, Christ's teaching begins with the charge to consider how you want to be treated by others, THEN "do also to them." The misquote also diminishes the point of the teaching by replacing "whatever you want" (a strong, positive statement) with "as you would have" (a much weaker, neutral statement). This lends itself to the idea of "Don't treat people badly, because you don't want them to treat you badly," and lessens the teaching's true intent. For example: I see smoke coming from a neighbor's house. I didn't start the fire, so I didn't do anything bad to them…but if I go stand in the yard and watch their house burn instead of calling the fire department, I've failed to do for them what I would want them to do for me. It's very significant that Jesus says "as you WANT men to do to you…" What do we want from others? That they not treat us badly? No, we want more than that…we want others to treat us WELL. We want someone to call the fire department if they see our house ablaze. We want someone to stop and help when our car breaks down. We want someone to comfort us when we're sad, to share our joy when we're happy, to be there when we're in need. Jesus taught that we first consider these things, then treat others accordingly. When you really think about it, it's an astonishing teaching. Jesus actually uses our selfish nature (that we want to be well-treated), and challenges us to reapply it to the way we treat others - not on a case-by-case basis, but as a way of life.

Answer 3

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.