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 “And
whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.”
(Matt. 5:41) Under Roman rule it was not unusual for Jews to be
pressed into service for the purpose of assisting soldiers and
couriers in the performance of their duties. Such tasks were
especially distasteful to the Jews. In this passage Jesus
pictures one who is obliged to accompany such men, perhaps as a
porter, for a distance of one mile. To the proud and reluctant
Jew, this must have been a long mile! But now they learn that
even after traveling that difficult distance, they were still a
mile away from where Christ would have them to be! Hard sayings
indeed!
The
principle of second—mile service is repeated often in the
sermon on the mount. Christ teaches that we are not only not to
despair in persecutions, but that we are to “rejoice and be
exceeding glad”. Not only are his followers to be righteous,
theirs is to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Second—mile
service means more that not killing, it means not hating. It
means abstaining from adultery and from the lust that leads to
it. Second—milers not only do not forswear themselves, they
“swear not at all”; they not only forego seeking revenge,
they turn the other cheek. The citizens of Christ’s kingdom do
not hate their enemies, they love them. For them, going the
second mile means more than a casual seeking of the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, it means seeking them FIRST!
Faithfulness here is more than being a mere hearer of His word,
it means doing it as well. By such standards it is not
difficult to see how many of
these Jews were a “mile” off in much of their thinking and
practice — and just that
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far from
walking with Christ.
The
passing of two thousand years has not diminished the distance
nor broadened the way to Christ—pleasing service. While many
seek Him at a lesser and more convenient distance, Christ is
still found at the two—mile mark. Even among His own. many are
yet thinking in terms of “how little can I get by with?”.
The Lord doesn’t get much mileage from this kind of attitude
(usually less than two!). Those who try to “just get by” won’t.
None are more deceived than those who seek fellowship with
Christ in the near-by areas of half-hearted, lukewarm and
begrudged service. He is not there — except in the distorted
imaginations of would-be Christians. It is unlikely that their
“Lord, Lord's will be heard from this remote distance at which
they “seek” Him.
The
question posed at the Mount is always appropriate for the
Christian: “What do ye more than others?”. Serving Christ
means being more and doing more — this is the essence of
second- mile living — and this is the dividing line between
His true and would - be disciples and the world. Through His
word, Christ directs men in the way of second- mile living to a
righteousness that exceeds.
Re-read
the sermon on the mount. Consider well its lessons. Failure to
appreciate and apply these principles of truth could cause us to
miss heaven — we could miss it by a mile! Dan S. Shipley.
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