Summaries

“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 (NIV)

I’ll admit it: when I’m handed something long to read, I’m grateful for a good summary. Give me the big picture first, and then I can wade into the details. Maybe you’re like that too. We live in a world where even the cereal box has too many words, and a little clarity goes a long way.

Jesus seems to understand that. In today’s verse, He offers what might be the most elegant summary ever written. He’s not tossing out the Law and the Prophets — far from it. He’s saying, “If you want to know what all of that is aiming toward, start here.” It’s as if He hands us the thesis statement of God’s heart: Do to others what you would have them do to you.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Not always. But it’s the essence — the through-line — of everything God has been teaching since the beginning. In fact, Jesus’ whole life is a kind of divine summary. If you want to know what God has been up to since Genesis, look at Jesus healing, forgiving, feeding, welcoming, and loving. That’s the long story in human form.

And maybe that’s why this verse still lands with such clarity. It’s not a loophole or a shortcut. It’s a lens. It helps us see our interactions — the small ones and the big ones — through God’s eyes. It nudges us to pause before we speak, to soften before we react, to imagine the world as a place where kindness is contagious.

What would shift today if you let Jesus’ summary guide you? Not in a grand, heroic way — just in the next conversation, the next decision, the next moment when you’re tempted to rush past someone’s humanity. What would you hope someone would do for you in that moment? Start there.

God of clarity and compassion, thank You for giving us a summary we can carry in our pockets and in our hearts. Help us treat others with the same grace we long to receive. Shape our words, our choices, and our presence today so that Your love becomes visible through us. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim