Remember that verse which says, "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two"? Sure, you remember it. But did you know that back then a person actually could force you to do just that?
It was the law that Roman citizens had the right to require Jews to carry burdens for them. I mean, picture it. A Jewish farmer, a young man, could be out tending his crops. And a tired and weary soldier on the side road by the pasture could stop by the edge of the field, drop his backpack, and yell to the farmer, "Hey! Get over here and carry this thing, and do it now."
I'm sure many Jewish farmers gave those soldiers dirty looks. They would throw down their rake and take their good old time to walk over, sling the pack on their back, and go the required one mile. I heard Adrian Rogers say in a sermon once that Jewish boys used to know exactly how far a mile was from their home so that when they had hiked the distance, they dropped the soldier's pack without going an inch further. And I wouldn't blame them.
So it must have really irked people to hear Jesus say that if someone strikes your cheek, give him the other one. If someone sues for your coat, give him your shirt. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
But listen. Just picture, just imagine what would happen when one of those who followed Jesus took him up on that advice. I mean, picture it. A soldier would yell out at a guy in a field, and that guy would respond with a smile, “Oh, you want me to carry your backpack? Sure, let me take it. I’ll give you a hand." And then the Jewish guy would walk and talk with the Roman soldier. They would get to the appointed mile.
But then, just when the soldier might say, "Hey, you know, thanks. You've been a lot more pleasant than most people who are required to do this for me." But just then, that soldier would get the surprise of his life when this guy volunteers to keep carrying the pack for another mile. The soldier would be amazed! "I have never met anybody like you," he’d say. "Why would you do such a thing?"
And the follower of Jesus would lay down the pack and say, "Well, have you ever heard of Jesus Christ?" And that, friends, is why we go the second mile for people we don't like. It's why we turn the other cheek, and it's why we give the shirt off our backs. We don't do these things because they are random acts of kindness to mean people. No, we don't do these things because we want to show the world the good stuff of which we're made. We don't go the second mile because we are going to prove to everyone looking on that we are masters of our own destinies. No, we do these things because Jesus told us to do them.
And it makes all the difference in the world. So go the second mile for someone today, and let the love of Christ change the hearts of you both.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends