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What does Matthew 7:12 mean?
"Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets."
— Matthew 7:12 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.
How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.
Explanation
Matthew 7:12 is commonly known as the Golden Rule, and in plain language it teaches that we should treat others the way we ourselves would want to be treated. It is not simply a call to avoid harming others, but a positive command to actively consider what we would hope for in a given situation—kindness, honesty, patience, generosity—and then extend that same treatment to the people around us. The verse calls for empathy to become the guiding principle of action, asking us to imagine ourselves in another person's position before we speak or act toward them.
This verse comes at the close of the Sermon on the Mount, a lengthy teaching given by Jesus to his disciples and the crowds gathered around him, as recorded by Matthew. Throughout the sermon, Jesus has been addressing topics like anger, lust, oaths, retaliation, love for enemies, prayer, fasting, worry, and judging others. Matthew 7:12 functions as a kind of capstone, summarizing much of the ethical teaching that has come before it. The phrase "therefore" signals that this verse draws a conclusion from everything Jesus has just said, tying together his instructions on how his followers ought to relate to one another and to all people.
Theologically, the verse makes a remarkable claim: that this simple principle encapsulates "the law and the prophets," a phrase that refers to the entire Hebrew Scriptures—what Christians call the Old Testament. Jesus is saying that the heart of God's commands, as revealed through Moses and the prophets, can be summarized in this single, practical rule of re
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