The 2nd Mile...

Matthew 5:38-42 

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

As part of His "Sermon on the Mount", the Lord Jesus preached these words, teaching those in attendance that day, and all who would read and meditate on these words up to this day, a very clear message about the life of a Christ follower.  There have been many books/blogs written and sermons preached about these verses.  Tons of information discussing what the Lord meant by these words.  Turn the other cheek, if he takes your coat give him your shirt too, go the extra mile.

Earlier in His sermon Jesus says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  Donna and I had the opportunity to visit a friend's church this past Sunday, and the pastor preached on this concept of "meekness".  He said, "Meekness is not weakness", and he is absolutely correct.  It is a true statement that in modern culture we have lost the understanding of what true meekness is, and we've substituted our understanding of "weakness" for "meekness" in many situations.

Meekness actually speaks to power, not weakness.  It is having the right or the power to do something, and yet not doing it to benefit someone else.  Power - not abdicated, not ignored, not cancelled, but also not enacted.  Whenever I think about this idea of meekness, I think of the Son of God hanging on the cross, the mockers in the crowd yelling at Him "If you are the Son of God why don't you let yourself down."  He was dying for those very mockers, as they mocked Him.  And yet He still died for them, and all of us.

In His teaching on meekness, the Lord goes further giving examples of how we are to behave, not only toward fellow believers, but to our enemies as well.  Here in verses 38 through 42 He is speaking about how we are to act toward those who are not our friends.  Someone who attacks you with a slap, someone who wants to sue you in court, authorities who force you into service.

Go the extra mile...  The Lord Jesus was speaking to a common practice in that day.  The law of the land said that any Roman citizen, soldier, or authority could "impress" (read draft or conscript) a person of a conquered land into service, specifically carrying/moving something, for one mile.  The roman road network was well established at this time, and the roads had markers every mile.  And so, if you were working in your field one afternoon and a cohort of roman infantry was marching past, any one of the men could call you over, hand you their rucksack, and say let's go, and you would have to carry that burden for one mile.

This was highly offensive to the Jewish people.  Being occupied was bad enough, but then to be forced into service of a pagan gentile in this manner was maddening to say the least.  And yet the Lord says to go an extra mile.  Not only to fulfill the required mile as the law says but go an extra mile.  

We don't hear much about that first mile, but there is a lot of writing and preaching available out there that talks about that second mile.  Some call it the "miracle mile".  This is the effort the Christ follower makes to show his or her companion who Christ is in their life, to show who it is that is Lord and Master truly.  This is the part of the journey where the burden of the journey is ignored, and the Glory of the Lord is proclaimed!  

Christ follower - go the second mile!  

I don't know if you have picked up on it here in our little corner of the world, but revival is happening Christians.  Revival is happening all around us.  I have seen young people earnestly asking questions and seeking God in their lives.  I have seen leaders in churches responding to greater callings, taking leaps of faith and engaging in new ministries.  People changing priorities and making both room and time in their lives so that they can be obedient to God's calling - revival is happening! 

Every one of us will have an opportunity to pick up someone else's burden and carry it for a while.  To grab hold of the other end of the load and help that person shoulder that load for a while, even for a mile.  Be willing to go the second mile and see what God will do with it.

Keep your eyes open for more on the "2nd Mile".  Much much more is to come...  Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

PJ