Going the Second Mile

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:41,
"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles."

We may have read this scripture many times, but if we look into the historical context in which Jesus was speaking, it opens up a deeper understanding.

In the days of Jesus, the Romans had already conquered the vast majority of the Mediterranean world and would establish more than 50,000 miles of Roman roads. The main objective of these roads was to unite their conquered territories. As this infrastructure was primarily developed for their military movement, there was a Roman law established that enabled any Roman soldier to order a civilian to stop what they were doing and carry the soldier’s load for one Roman mile. Once the civilian reached the one mile mark, they would set the pack down and be done with it. They had completed what was required by law.

Now that we have the historical context, let us read Matthew 5:41 again.
"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles."

With our expanded understanding, how can we apply this teaching by Jesus into our own lives?

Solomon teaches us in Proverbs 25:21-22,
"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you."

Imagine the surprise of an adversary, or a stranger, a neighbor, or any acquaintance, when you give the unexpected just like a civilian offering to go a second Roman mile. It stops the person in their tracks, it causes them to do a double take...they take notice of you. This offers an opportunity to be a witness for Christ. By shining that light, by using that opportunity to share the love, peace and truth of Jesus, we open the door to Christ for that individual.

The first mile is obligatory or expected, but the extra mile is where our light shines... where the doors of opportunity open, where we can make a greater impact, where we can make a bigger difference or leave an impression as a representative of Jesus.

Even Jesus walked the second mile. He didn't just come in the flesh to teach, to heal, to gain disciples and be an example, but he walked the second mile, carrying our baggage of sin to the cross and died for us.

‭Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5:6-8,
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

We have endless opportunities to go that second mile daily... to do more than is required or expected. We can apply this principle from Jesus with everyone with whom we come into contact by offering a cheerful smile an a heartfelt interest in their well-being. We can apply it to how we maintain our home which is God’s gift to us. We can apply it with an employer, a co-worker, or a customer. We can apply it with a cashier, a waitress, or a receptionist. We can apply it with those who have suffered a loss by continuing to check in on them on a regular basis long after everyone else has moved on.

The second mile is where our actions, words, efforts and presence makes the difference and can make the greatest impact on someone else. So let us always strive past the expected first mile and shine our light and glorify God as we go the unexpected second mile.
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