Doing onto others

 

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 ESV

            Actions flow out of attitudes. Behaviors are shaped by beliefs. Therefore, we shall not succeed in doing unto others, till have come to think of others rightly. If we think of them poorly, we shall render only poor service to them. If we do not respect people, we will not do well by them. At best we give them less than they are worthy of, and at worst we patronize them. Where is our motivation to serve those, we do not respect? We cannot be doing unto them because they are worthy of it, we do not believe that. So, we are doing it for own sake, to be obedient, or to signal our virtue, or to silence the nagging sense that there is something wrong with our perspective.

            I want to focus our discussion on how we treat people at work, the kinds of people who we encounter regularly as they work. We have a great opportunity to minister to these people by our interactions. We have a real opportunity to show the difference of Christianity by how we treat people.

            The waiter’s work is easy in our minds, and so a meager tip seems generous to us. The sales-associate exist to meet our needs, and so we abuse him without a second thought. The delivery person doesn’t need much, and so we do not give much. Our boss is not a good leader, so we see no reason to be good followers. I could give other examples of prejudice and poor judgement based on any number of superficial features; but it seems the disrespect for certain job titles goes unchallenged more than any of our other disrespectful patterns of thought.

            Do you want to be respected at work? Then shouldn’t you according to the biblical precept respect others at work? Do you want people to value what you do? Then shouldn’t you value what others do? If you come to think of the wait staff as people who render a real service, who possess and exercise real skills, who really are worthy for respect; you will begin to treat them differently. If you see the sale-associate as someone who works hard, who has acquired a knowledge of his field, and who ought to be respected; you will not be so quick to take out your frustrations on them. Jesus invited such people into the Kingdom, and gave them important work to do in it. Our Lord did not care that Peter, James, and John were fishermen, or that Matthew was a tax-collector. Our Lord could have had Centurions, and Philosophers, or Famous Athletes and artists as His followers: and He has had some. He might even have mighty Kings and Senators of Rome for His closest disciples. He chose what was weak and foolish to the World instead.  He gave fishermen, and tax-collectors, and the dregs of society into His fellowship, and lavished upon them all he had to give. He thought of them differently than the pharisees did. Whose attitude is best reflected in our own?

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