Matthew 7:12

The recurrence of "the Law and the Prophets" here takes us back to Matthew 5:17, the beginning of the body of the Sermon. As pointed out previously, this phrase forms an inclusio. Everything Jesus said between Matthew 5:17 and Matthew 7:12 was essentially an exposition of Old Testament revelation. Consequently the "therefore" in this verse probably summarizes the entire section (Matthew 5:17 to Matthew 7:12).

The "golden rule" sums up the teaching of the Old Testament (cf. Exodus 23:4; Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Proverbs 24:17; Proverbs 25:21; Luke 6:31). The title "golden rule" traditionally comes from "the Roman Emperor Alexander Severus (A.D. 222-35), who, though not a Christian, was reputedly so impressed by the comprehensiveness of this maxim of Jesus . . . that he had it inscribed in gold on the wall of his chamber." [Note: France, The Gospel . . ., p. 284.]

Rather than giving scores of specific commands to govern individual behavior during the inter-advent era, as the Old Covenant did for the Mosaic era, Jesus gave this principle. It provides a rule we can use in thousands of specific cases to determine what righteousness looks like. Doing to others what we would want them to do to us is what the Law and the Prophets taught. This behavior fulfills them (cf. Matthew 5:17). This behavior is the will of God, and that is why Jesus’ disciples should do it.