Jump Start # 3783

Matthew 5:41 “And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.”

I recently preached on this passage that comes from the famous Sermon on the Mount. The statement is about being a servant. It calls for us to do the unexpected. But, in the times Jesus spoke it, how outrageous, radical and even offensive this must have sounded to those listening ears.

There was a law in Judea that was strictly enforced. A Roman soldier could compel a Jew to carry his pack, his shield, his spear, for one mile. One mile was the limit. History tells us that there were one mile markers outside of Jewish villages identifying how far the equipment of a Roman soldier could be carried. One mile.

Rome did that to harass, humiliate, annoy, irritate, bother and oppress the Jews. This was a regular reminder that the Jews were not an independent nation. They were oppressed and they were to serve their oppressors. If you had your arms full of boxes, a Roman soldier would enjoy forcing you to drop those boxes and carry his gear. Would your boxes still be there when you returned? The Roman didn’t care. They would see a Jew walking very fast, as if he was in a hurry, and they’d make that person carry the equipment for a mile. A protesting Jew could be beaten. Worse, he could be arrested for treason. You might be walking one way and a Roman soldier the opposite way, and he would make you carry his stuff the direction he was going. Your anger would build because of how these soldiers treated you and others. But, there was nothing you could do. The Romans could mock and make fun of you as you carried their stuff one mile. Many Jews would look carefully to see if any soldiers were in the area before they tried to make their journey. They would hide, not wanting to walk the mile with the soldier.

This was life for the Jews. And, now Jesus adds to this, if you are forced to go one mile, go two. No one went two miles. No one could make you go two miles. One mile is all that was required. One mile is what was expected and demanded. If a soldier caught you going the wrong direction and made you walk with him one mile, you are now two miles from where you started. With Jesus’ words, you would be four miles from where you started.

The interesting thing about this is that when a disciple got to the one mile marker, he’d keep walking. The soldier might tell him to stop, but the disciple would keep going. He would do this, not complaining. He would not gripe about Roman occupation. In fact, it would shock the soldier. He’d be telling you, that is enough. But, onward you’d keep walking. Walking with a smile. Walking way out of your way. You’d do this because that’s what Jesus did towards us. He always went out of the way for us.

Now some thoughts from this:

First, because I do not have to, is not a reason not to. This is a common thought about attendance. Someone will say, “Wednesday night is not in the Bible, so I don’t have to come.” The point of our passage is just that. You don’t have to walk a second mile. No one can make you walk a second mile. You do it by choice. You do it because you want to.

When we do only what we have to do, that becomes duty. That’s not the heart of a servant. When we only do things if we get paid, that’s called a job. That’s not the heart of a servant. But, when we do things that we do not have to do, and no one asks us to do them, now, we begin to understand a servant.

Second, there are plenty of one mile Christians. They will do their duty. I’ve even heard some pray, “Lord, we pray for those who it is our duty to pray for.” What about those it’s not our duty to pray for. What about praying for Russia’s Putin. We talk about him. We criticize him. We blame him. Have we ever prayed for him? Doing only what is expected and nothing more, sure sucks the air out of a congregation. Paul praised Philemon because he knew he would do even more than what Paul said. The Thessalonians were encouraged to excel still more.

Duty minded Christians seem to be in a hurry to get out of the church building. I’ve seen others, nearly an hour after services talking, some with Bibles opened, engaging and helping one another. Do they have to do that? That’s the point! Second mile people go beyond what they have to do.

Third, second mile Christians don’t wait to be asked. No one would ask a Jew to go two miles. That would never happen. A Roman soldier could not do that. Going the second mile in forgiveness. Going the second mile in fellowship. Going the second mile like the captured servant girl did when she told Naaman’s wife about a prophet in Israel who could heal his leprosy. Going the second mile like Paul did when he gave Mark a second chance. Earlier, Paul got into an argument not wanting to bring Mark. But, later, Paul declared that Mark was useful for him. A second mile. A second mile like David inviting Saul’s grandson to sit at his table.

Matthew five, where our passage comes from, ends with the question, “What do you do more than others?” Back then, anyone could walk one mile. They had to if a Roman soldier demanded it. But, who goes the second mile? Who goes out of his way?

Second mile Christians…I know some of them. They are amazing.

Roger

Jump Start # 3780

Matthew 27:50 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”

There is a line in the hymn, “My eyes have seen Your glory,” that really caught my attention the other day when we were singing it in worship. It’s a beautiful hymn. In the second verse, “In my heart I crumbled when I watched you die,” has so much meaning. I thought of that from the standpoint of the few who stood at a distance at the cross. They saw the bloodied and beaten Jesus being lifted up. The tortuous image must have made them look away, but they couldn’t keep from looking. Somehow Jesus would get out of this, they must have thought. He always had before. Rocks had been picked up to be thrown at Him, yet He got away from that. An angry crowd pushed Him to a cliff to shove Him over, but He got away. He always got away. He was the Lord.

And, as the moments slipped away, surely He’ll come off the cross. He has to come off the cross. The Romans can’t win. These unbelieving Jews can’t win. He’ll show them. He’ll come off the cross and everything will be ok. But, as the minutes passed, He was getting weaker. Nothing was happening. He cries out, “It is finished,” and then He utters, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” His head drops to His chest. His eyes close. There is no movement. We intently stare at His chest, hoping to see it expand with another breath. The chest doesn’t move. There is a stillness. We step closer and we realize that He has died. Jesus has really died. A soldier thrust a spear upward into His side. Blood and water come out. The body didn’t move. He was dead.

At that moment, we are filled with confusion, fear and doubt. What will happen now? He was so good. He always helped others. Why? Why did they have to kill Him? What He said was so wonderful. He made us feel loved and put things in our hearts that were so true. We want to do something, but what can we do? We begin to feel ashamed for not standing up for Him. Maybe there would have been a different outcome.

The crowd stands in silence. Jesus has died. How could this be. And, now the tears begin flowing down our cheeks. We walk with the rest of the crowd away from the cross. We feel so empty and numb. We keep looking back, hoping something will happen. We just can’t believe all of this. He has really died. The only place we know to go to is home, but we don’t feel like going there. We don’t feel like eating. We don’t feel like talking. We just can’t believe that Jesus has died. Why didn’t the Father save Him? All of this was so good and right. Is it over? Who will lead us now? All the apostles feel lost. No one seems to know what to do.

We don’t feel like going back to the way things were before we met Jesus. We don’t want to do anything. We keep wondering if all of this is a bad dream. He can’t be dead, could He.

Such must have been “the crumbled heart” feeling of those few who saw Jesus die. You and I have the complete story of the cross. We understand the reasons why He had to die. We know what happens in a few days. We know Jesus as the resurrected Savior. But for those believers who watched Him die, what a different experience it was for them.

Some thoughts for us:

First, Jesus died. He really died. We understand this Biblically and factually, but putting yourself there at the cross, would have been something hard to fathom. As we focus upon the Lord’s Supper each week, let’s not forget that our Lord died. We celebrate the resurrection, but let us not forget the sorrow of His death. I have seen some dear, dear people take their last breath. I know the emptiness at looking at a lifeless body and hoping that there would be one more breath.

Second, we can think that those early believers were simple and naïve in their thinking about Jesus. The Lord had said several times that He was going to die and be raised. We read those passages with certainty and that is because we are on this side of the story. They were on the other side of the story and it was hard to put together everything that Jesus had said. Things were so good, it’s hard to imagine that it would ever end, but it did.

Third, and, to think He did all of this for you. He did all of this for me. Jesus cared so much for you that He gave His life. The greatest sacrifice of all. He died so we could live. What greater motivation to walk with the Lord than seeing by faith His death. How quickly we would admit that we don’t deserve His death. How easily we would confess that we are not that important. But to Jesus you are. Your life was worth His death.

My heart crumbled when I watched you die…

Roger