And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Matthew 5:41
The Sermon on the Mount is a doctrinal statement for a Jewish Kingdom at the Second Advent of Christ. This is without argument contained within the Word of God found by rightly dividing the Holy Scriptures. Yet, inspirationally, a Christian should live a charitable life extending kindness to others. “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matthew 5:41) is what our Lord Jesus Christ said in His encouragement to give more than what we are asked. Mark 12:41-44 depicts the account of the poor widow who threw in (tithed) two mites, which was a relatively small amount of money, even though it was “all that she had, even all her living”. All that she possessed she gave! Beloved, the lesson to learn here is that our Lord’s first concern is not what we give, but how we give it. While so often giving is equated with some monetary value, the Lord is also concerned how we give of our Time, our Talent and our Treasure. It has never been about the element of quantity, but rather that of quality. Friend, Christ is interested in our motive for giving. With that thought in mind, let's look at the verse through the lens of examining our motives to share and sacrifice for others: “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” Jesus Christ is interested in our motive to walk the mile and whether or not that commitment represents a dedicated sacrificial spirit on our part. The widow in Mark 12, impoverished and poorly dressed, was out of place among the more affluent of the congregation, but walked passed the wealthy and humbly placed her mere two mites into a collection plate. A farthing, which is worth about a quarter of a cent in today's money, is what she gave, yet Jesus Christ described her giving: "And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." (Mark 12:43-44). Have we considered the great joy of giving in our lives? Let's ask ourselves in what ways can we give like this when we are compelled to walk a mile. Romans 12:1 is my life verse, one that has become so near and dear to my heart that I ponder upon its precepts regularly. Christians have never been commanded to sacrifice their lives by killing themselves (or others during the act of termination). The truth is, however, that one day we may have to die and give our lives for the name of Christ, but as a rule, the Lord has required only that we give our lives over to Him as a living sacrifice, thus compelling us to go the extra mile. Is this difficult to do in today’s world? Absolutely. Is it possible? Yes, for if it was not, the Lord would not have required it. How can we go the extra mile? We can go the extra mile by Overlooking Other’s Faults. Romans 12:9-10 reads, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” How many times do we find ourselves sliding into fault finding missions against others? Sometimes we should just accept others and out of kindness, respect and love, simply overlook their faults. Sometimes it is best just to watch and wait on the Lord. Going the extra mile means we exercise some effort in trying to understand where others are in their Christian lives or in their life in general. The reality is that we are not walking in their shoes and we have yet to walk in the footsteps of their faults, whether they be from their background, their past or prior experiences. If we read Matthew 7:1-5, we learn that we have the obligation to judge fairly and righteously, remembering that the beam in our own eye must be removed before we demand that the mote, or splinter, be removed from the eye of a friend. Going the extra mile for other Christians is exercising what we are taught in Galatians 6:1: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted". This is really an important verse in helping and encouraging fallen brothers and sisters in Christ which is too often forgotten. Secondly, we can go the extra mile in Overcoming our own Faults. Romans 12:11-12 reads, "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer,". We all have faults, faults which if not overcome, can become sin. As Christians, we have been given the power to overcome our faults which is the promise found in John 4:4: "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." The Apostle Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote in Romans 5:19-21, “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Here we find the source of overcoming our own faults. Many times faults become heavy, cumbersome weights that develop into sin. Paul also encouraged the Hebrew believers by writing, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1). The truth of the matter is that to finish this race we have to go the extra mile and out of necessity, we must lay aside all unneeded weight. We lay aside these burdensome weights by putting on Christ. "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." (Romans 13:14). Going the extra mile involves Offering Help to Friends, Family and Foes. We are instructed in Romans 12:13-15, "Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." When given the opportunity, we should selflessly support, encourage and help others however we can, remembering that the Lord is interested in how we give rather than in what we give. He is interested in our motives in giving to others that we may best exercise the gifts of our Savior, Jesus Christ. In doing so, no matter how dark the work may become, the light of the Lord will shine in our acts of kindness, walking in the steps of someone who may simply need a kind word of encouragement so that they know of God's love and care for them. This my friend, is going the extra mile. …go with him twain.
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