GOING THE EXTRA MILE
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Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Introduction: King Agrippa reveals to us the dangers of stopping to soon.
Farmer searching for Gold
Napoleon Hill
One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another.
In a general sense we all understand what our Lord is saying here: we are to go the extra mile in order to help a brother.
However, there is a deeper meaning when we fully understand the context.
"Roman law gave a soldier the right to force a civilian to carry his pack for a milion, a Roman mile, which was slightly shorter than our modern mile.
The law, designed to relieve the soldier, not only caused great inconvenience to civilians but was made even more despicable by the fact that the oppressed were made to carry the equipment and weapons of their oppressors.
Outside of combat the Roman soldier was probably never more hated than when he forced someone to carry his pack."
Clearly Jesus is speaking of being asked, or even forced, to do something we really didn't want to do.
I am certain that we've all had occasions when we were asked to do something that we really didn't want to do.
It may have been a legitimate need, but we didn't have the time or just didn't want to do it.
If we are to be what the Lord desires of us, we will be willing to go the extra mile regardless of the inconvenience.
Many today seem to resent having to do only what is expected, much less being willing to go beyond that which is expected.
May we have the attitude our Lord desires and be willing to give of ourselves for the needs of others, even when we really don't feel like it.
Jesus tells us his listeners to go beyond obligation.
The second mile is not an obligation, it is a opportunity.
We often miss the opportunity that most often lies in doing the difficult. (Easy way out).
To many times we quit too quickly.
We want to get by with the absolute minimum.
We many time bail out after our obligations is completed.
In looking for the easiest path, we fail to develop the muscle and the endurance for the second mile and we miss the opportunity that most often lies in doing the difficult and denying our rights to rest, relaxation and respite.
Changing Your Worldview
Changing Your Worldview
The point in demanding that the Jews walk two miles was for them to show the Romans that they were different from them.
They did not demand, they offered.
They did not compel, they invited.
The children of Israel were operating from a different worldview, one of simplicity and goodness and virtue found in the God of Scripture.
The Romans operated from a worldview of power, conquest, and greed.
Roman hearts could be won, one at a time, by simple acts of radical service that went contrary to the expectation.
We can overcome evil by doing good.
Freedom was to come not from a Jewish uprising or a revolt, but from the internal liberty of being free to serve your enemy, testifying to the transforming power of God in a person’s soul.
The only way for the good to win over the evil was to go beyond the expectation.
The second mile in our lives makes the “Roman” world ask why we would go the extra distance under such a heavy burden.
The second mile opens up conversations that would never happen in the first mile.
The second mile makes us better humans and better Christians.
It builds the muscle we need to carry the Gospel and the endurance we need to remain faithful through the seasons of life and not just for a season of life.
Go beyond obligation.
You will only find opportunity when you walk the second mile.
Don't worry about the burden wearing you out. You can rest when you reach your destination.
And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.