Matthew 7:12-14
The Golden Rule and the Narrow Gate
[edit | edit source]Interpretation by Victor Porton; not presented as scholarly consensus.
Matthew 7:12–14: "All things therefore, as many as you may want that men should do to you, so also do you to them, for this is the law and the prophets. Enter you in by the narrow gate, because wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction..."
In the author's interpretation, doing unto others as one would have them do unto oneself is described as the law and the prophets, but not as the ultimate extent of Christian responsibility. The author distinguishes wanting material goods for oneself or one's neighbor from seeking God's will for oneself and others. In this reading, the "narrow way" means doing what God desires, rather than merely what one wants.
