“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

A while back Pastor Bill and I preached a series of sermons on the Gospel of Matthew. When we were on chapters 5-7, a passage of scripture commonly referred to as Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”, I was reminded of a Bible study I participated in as a student at the University of Connecticut. It was an in-depth, verse by verse study, and each week we were expected to select a “key verse” from the chapter we were studying.

I remembered how much fun it is to try to pick a key verse from a chapter you’re studying. It’s not an exact science, and in most cases there’s not a specific right answer, yet it is a good exercise. By way of example, if I had to pick a key verse from each of these three chapters in Matthew I’d probably go with:

5:48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is our standard for understanding and obeying God’s commands.

6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This should be our approach to life.

7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” This is our foundation for human interaction.

Powerful, right? Just put these verses into practice and you’ll be living well before the Lord.

Of course, you might want to suggest different key verses, such as 7:7: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” It’s okay if we don’t agree, it just provides an opportunity for profitable discussion around the Word of God.

As you study scripture look for key verses.