What's good for the goose is good for the gander
- Kim Johnson
- Sep 7, 2022
- 2 min read
“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”
James 2:1
What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander is an old proverbial expression which simply means to be treated the same as another without favoritism. The gander is a male goose so this is often used to reiterate equality among men and women.
None of us like to be the victim of sexism, especially in our own home. I was the oldest child and once I could drive, a strict curfew was put into place and my parents always wanted to know who I was with. The rules given to me because I was a girl, weren’t enforced on my brothers when they came of age.
There are distinct differences between men and women. While the minds of both sexes are equal, our bodies are genetically different, typically making males physically stronger. This is the reason we have separate competitive sports, the male has the advantage.
Jesus talks a lot about favoritism and judgment during His ministry. In John 8:1-11, the Pharisees brought an adulteress woman before Jesus and asked Him to condone the stoning of her. Being the man we know Jesus to be, as in other circumstances mentioned in the Bible, He just calmly tells them to go ahead and throw a stone if they have no sin in your life. He was a master of making others reflect on their own sinful nature.
Our pastor brought this up the other day and I have wondered the same thing, where was the man she was caught with? It takes two to tango so why wasn’t the man held to the same scrutiny and humiliation she was? After all, someone else was with her for her to be caught in the act. Hypocrisy was just as prevalent back then as it is now.
We have to make sure we don’t have any preconceived notions about others. We’re to treat everyone with equality and fairness rather than assumptions. As parents, we always have to make sure we hold each child up to the same standards and apply the same rules to all, regardless of their sex because what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
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