And Jesus said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it shall be meted out to you and will be added to you.” (Mark 11:24)
Christ’s words (quoted above) are another way of His saying do unto others as you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12). What you hope for, wish upon or do to others will be done to you. It is a spiritual law of reciprocity. Whether we wish and do good for others (show them kindness) or hope they suffer (wish judgment on them), we are taught, those wishes will be visited on us as a form of justice.
It is why we pray “Lord have mercy” rather than “Lord be just”. If God forgives others, then perhaps God will forgive us too. But if God is going to be completely just and punish all sinners for eternity, then we will be punished too for we all sin (Romans 3:23). Better to wish that God be merciful to others, so that we can receive the mercy He directs our way.
These teachings appear in various forms in other religions as well. For example, the Muslim poet Jalal ud-Din Rumi teaches:
“A hand that is always open or always closed is a crippled hand. A bird that cannot open and close its wings cannot fly.”
Whether our hand is always opened to receive things from others or always closed in a tight grip around what we already have, it remains crippled. Only when we learn to be generous with our things and share with others, are we being fully human. This requires us to open and close our hand as we go about doing God’s will. God will treat us as we treat others.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. (Luke 6:31)
Fraternized 