Goldene Regel

Jesus' summary of ethical duty: 'So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets' (Matthew 7:12). Luke 6:31 records the same teaching in the Sermon on the Plain. While negative formulations existed in Judaism ('Do not do to others what you would not want done to you,' Tobit 4:15), Jesus' positive formulation is more demanding — it requires active initiative in doing good, not merely refraining from harm. The Golden Rule operationalizes the command to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) in practical, everyday terms. It demands empathy, imagination, and sacrificial action toward all people regardless of their status or relationship to us.