What does it mean to be love when the world around you is trying to be right?
What does it look like to express compassion when culture is competing to have the more popular opinion?
Is it possible to express how I feel and acknowledge what I think while showing kindness to those I disagree with?
The human heart falls to default settings, habits, and comfort zones in difficult circumstances. Like seeks the comfort of like. We bolster our opinions with the acceptance and approval of others. We shun and push away those with opinions and feelings we don’t care for. Surrounding ourselves with people who share our thoughts and feelings doesn’t always make us right. It merely gives us the comfort of being in a majority. And it seldom makes us the essence of love.
The expression “go the extra mile” comes from the teaching of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his audience, “if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Mat 5:41).
The people of ancient Palestine lived many generations under conquering forces such as Persians and Romans. The Romans who ruled during the life of Jesus had the power and authority to compel a civilian- through forced, unpaid labor- to assist in road work, carry official correspondence or carry a soldier’s gear for one mile. Each mile of the major Roman roads was marked by large, carved stones, much like interstate mile markers today. This is the origin of our modern term “milestone”.
The practice of being forced to carry Roman burdens was a demeaning reminder of subjugation. Simon the Cyrene was compelled by Roman authorities, according to Roman law, to carry the cross of Jesus (Mark 15:21). Refusal to comply was not an option.
In the passage in Matthew 5, was Jesus trying to lay out new rules for believers as if to say, “if the Romans force you to carry their 100-pound gear for one mile, the new rule as a follower of Jesus is that you must now carry the burden for two miles”? Or was Jesus trying to explain that living by rules isn’t enough to usher in the kingdom of God on earth?
It’s hard to imagine in modern America a situation where a practice like this could exist without lawyers and court dates and outrage on social media. Each step of that forced labor was probably counted out carefully in the mind of the person carrying the weight and humiliation of the mile-long journey. When the next milestone appeared, the Roman burden was probably dropped within an inch of the legal requirement and not an inch beyond. Every step of the required mile would be filled with anger and resentment, in many cases, hatred. Subjugated, forced laborers were right to be angry, correct in feeling that oppression is wrong, and justified in their desire for freedom.
Jesus must have sounded like a crazy man when he said they should willingly walk the extra mile. He was prone to saying things that sounded a little crazy. If someone hits you in the face, do not hit back (Mat 5:39). If someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt, too (5:40). Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (5:44).
Jesus was not suggesting that his followers passively allow themselves to be victimized, oppressed, and bullied. Jesus was telling his followers that in this life, you will be mistreated. How you respond when you are mistreated either allows the light and love of God’s kingdom to be visible in the darkness of this world or your response will merely add to the noise of an already noisy, stressful, hopeless existence.
Imagine the look on that Roman soldier’s face when one of the many subjugated people that hates him offers to voluntarily carry his pack another mile. Imagine the sudden interest the soldier now feels as to who this human being is and what makes him different from the rest. Imagine the opportunity for conversation that is now presented to two opposing political views and two opposite sets of moral values. Maybe the soldier finds out that Jews are smart and caring and have an interesting religious belief. Maybe the Jew learns that the soldier never wanted to be in the military but had no other way to provide for his family. Maybe they wouldn’t say anything at all. But maybe the soldier walks away feeling uncomfortable about his behavior in light of the Jewish man’s kindness.
Perhaps Jesus was saying that being right and rule following and doing only as much is required of you isn’t enough when you are in Christ’s service. The Romans and the Jews could choose to stand on the opposite sides of the road and yell and spit at one another. They could silently hate each other as they walked the required mile. They could both justify their behavior and have a crowd of friends around them to support their viewpoint. But what if they walked an extra mile together instead?
Maybe Jesus was saying that life isn’t summed up by being right. Life isn’t about politics and culture wars, opinions, and personal preferences. Life for the believer is about the revelation of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Life for the believer is about helping another human see the light and love of God and bringing that light and love into our current circumstances. We may think they don’t deserve the love and kindness of God. But, neither do we.
Going the extra mile means setting aside our right to be right, letting go of our opinions and preferences, and putting God’s priorities ahead of our own. Maybe it is an act of kindness or going out of our way to have a conversation or carrying someone’s else’s burden for just a little while. Going the extra mile is God’s opportunity to work in the life of someone that is living in the darkness without God.
I think that when Jesus asks me if I am going the extra mile, he is saying, “You may be right, but are you being love?”
Jesus said to his disciples: “Everyone will know you as my followers if you demonstrate your love to others” (John 15:35).
Copyright T.A. Boland 2021 All Rights Reserved
Photo credit: By BBird - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2879670
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