The Second Mile Marathon - Matthew 5:38-42 - February 5, 2012
Series: Kingdom Life – A World Turned Upside Down #16
One summer evening in Broken Bow, Nebraska, a weary truck driver pulled his rig into an all-night truck stop. He was tired and hungry. The waitress had just served him his meal when three tough looking, leather jacketed motorcyclists – the biker gang type - decided to give him a hard time. Not only did they verbally abuse him, but one grabbed the hamburger off of his plate, another took a handful of his french fries, and the third picked up his coffee and began to drink it.
Now let me ask you this: What would you do, if that had been you? How would you respond if you found yourself in that situation? I’m sure we can all think of things that we may have wanted to do in those moments, but I wonder what we would have really done had that happened to us? Well, this trucker did not respond as one might expect. He did not start swinging his fists or slinging insults. Instead, he calmly rose, picked up his bill, walked over to the waitress, paid what he owed, and walked out the door - all without saying a word. The waitress followed him to put the money in the till and stood watching out the door as the big truck drove away into the night.
When she returned, one of the motorcyclists said to her, “Well, he’s not much of a man, is he?” She replied, “I don’t know about that, but he sure isn’t much of a truck driver. He just ran over three motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot.” (Adapted from, Going The Extra Mile, by Jeffery Anselmi, www. sermoncentral.com)
Now we laugh at that in part because we are rooting for the truck driver. We like to see the bully get what he deserves, we long to see the underdog rise up and make things right. We’ve all been in that place where we have been insulted, or unfairly treated, bullied or humiliated, or when that which is rightfully ours has been taken from us. And in those times you may have reacted differently than the person sitting beside you this morning, but I can almost guarantee that, along with the grief, and the sorrow, and the humiliation that you might have been experiencing, that there also arose within you a burning desire to get even and to pay back the person who had wronged you.
Some of you will be familiar with the feud that existed between the Hatfield and McCoy families back in the late 1800’s. It started with a dispute over the ownership of a pig and lasted for more than a decade. By the time it was over a dozen members of the two families had been murdered and another ten wounded including women and children. That desire to get even led to great heartache and tragedy.
We shake our heads in wonder and yet, “Don’t get mad, get even,” is still the mantra of our society today – and not just “get even” but take it one step farther and “get ahead.” Go one step beyond what that person has done to you so that they learn not to mess with you again. Make them suffer for the hurt they’ve brought into your life and hopefully there won’t be a next time.
This is an attitude of the heart that the people of Jesus’ day could relate to as well. Open your Bibles with me please to the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew, chapter 5, beginning in verse 38. Earlier in this chapter Jesus speaks some words which are difficult for us to hear. He says, that unless our righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, and the teachers of the Law, that we will certainly not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (5:20) He goes on to give the people six examples of what that greater righteousness looks like and this morning we are looking at the fifth of those examples. So let’s see what the Lord says. Verse 38 …
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38–42, NIV)
Again, Jesus starts out with what the people know, with what they have been taught. The Law of Moses stated that the punishment must fit the crime. So if someone struck you and knocked out a tooth, the most that could be demanded of them was a tooth of their own. You couldn’t demand than an arm be broken or a hand be cut off. The Law was, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” This was the rule for the courts to make sure that justice was implemented and that vengeance was taken out of the hand of the individual. The idea was to protect against vigilantism and the type of frontier justice that we see in the feud between the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s.
We learn this law as children – and we don’t even need to be taught it. One child hits another, that child strikes back, why? Because she hit me first! It’s an “eye for an eye” mentality. When we’re hurt we want to lash out at the one that has hurt us. But this does not necessarily serve justice and it often leads to an escalation of hostilities. And that’s how the rabbis twisted and distorted the Law and taught it to the people. They opened the door wide for personal vengeance to be sought after when a wrong was done. But then Jesus comes along and says, “I tell you, do not resist an evil person.” (Matthew 5:39, NIV)
Underline that word, “resist,” in your Bibles. It’s an interesting word. It does not mean that you cannot defend yourself if you are physically attacked as some have taught. Elsewhere the Bible indicates that self-defence is acceptable even if it is not demanded. This word does carry with it though, the idea of not actively opposing an evil person by making yourself as they are. Self-defence is one thing, retaliation is another thing entirely. When you retaliate, when you seek vengeance, it may be that you inflict harm on another when the danger to you is already passed. If you were to do that you make yourself of the same mindset, the same heart attitude, as the person who did evil to you in the first place.
So Jesus says, “do not resist an evil person.” Another way of saying it is this, “two wrongs don’t make a right.” So don’t give in to evil, don’t seek after vengeance, don’t lash out in retaliation, when a wrong is done to you. That is the way of the unbeliever, it is not to be the way of the child of God. Proverbs 20:22 says this, “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and He will avenge you.” (Proverbs 20:22, NIV) Be willing to let go of your rights that God may be glorified! We see this in the life of the apostle Paul after a man named Alexander had brought a great deal of pain and suffering and aguish into Paul’s life. Paul could have sought to retaliate, to repay, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” but he did not. In his 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul writes these words, “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.” (2 Timothy 4:14, NIV) Friends, justice belongs in the hands of God rather than in the hands of the one who has been wronged. If you have been wronged, do not seek vengeance, but give it over to God who sees all things, who knows all men’s hearts, and who is perfectly just in all He does.
Jesus says we are not to resist an “evil person.” But just who is an evil person? How can we identify them? Certainly by their deeds – Scripture teaches that we will know them by the fruit that their lives bring forth. But even more to the point, what Jesus is talking about specifically here is someone who is not walking with the Lord, an unbeliever, one who is opposed to God’s ways and to God’s people. They are evil in the sense that they are walking in such a way that they are opposing the very heart of God by what they do and say and the manner in which they live and that’s important because it’s going to tie into the very reason that we are not to return evil for evil.
Jesus goes on to give us four examples of how the believer ought to respond in different situations. The first is this: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” (Matthew 5:39, NIV) I need a volunteer to come up here this morning for a moment please. Who wants to hit the pastor? … Alright, are you right handed or left handed? Most people are right handed so this will work well. If you were going to hit someone what hand would you use? Your right, right? Show me how you would strike me on my right cheek … You wouldn’t do it with a closed fist would you? It’s too awkward that way. What’s being talked about in these verses is a backhanded slap just like this ... O.K. - thanks for your help – you can be seated now. Folks, in the culture of the day a backhanded slap was a huge insult. It wasn’t intended to inflict physical harm so much as it was meant to convey an utter disregard for who you were; to be deeply offensive and insulting.
Your natural reaction, if that were to happen, might be to strike back in kind, to repay insult with insult. But that is not the way of the Lord nor should it be the way of the Christian for Scripture says, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9, NIV) With this example Jesus shows us that forgiveness trumps revenge in the life of a child of God. Every one of us will feel at some point that we receive insults or slights – whether real or imagined – during the course of our lives. Some we will brush off without much thought but others will hurt us deeply. The one’s that hurt the most will be those that come from those closest to us. In that moment the true attitude of our own hearts will be revealed in how we respond to that individual and to that situation. Some will grow angry, others will become bitter, some will retaliate in kind, but Jesus says that none of those things are really the answer. Our anger will lead us into sin, bitterness will destroy us from within, retaliation propagates and spreads the hurt and the suffering, but forgiveness brings healing (at the very least in your own heart) and often leads to reconciliation which is where God’s heart lies.
The second illustration we’re given is shown in verse 40 … “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” (Matthew 5:40, NIV) Again the Law of Moses stated that a shirt – or a tunic – could be taken in pledge for an outstanding debt. The coat, or cloak, could be taken as well but it had to be returned by the end of the day for this is the only covering a poor person would have at night. This is what Moses had written, “When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 24:10–13, NIV)
Again, Jesus goes beyond the mere letter of the law and He says, if they want your shirt, hand over your coat as well. Give it freely, give it ungrudgingly. Don’t stand on your rights but consider the relationship more important than the possession for selflessness trumps selfishness.
Many years ago, when Heather and I were first married, we lived in a basement suite in a house owned by some friends of ours. Our friends lived upstairs. One day we discovered that one of the basement storm windows had fallen out and was broken. They were the type that had to be fastened from the outside and we had never touched them. Our landlord friends, if I remember right, had put them in. Money was tight and it was going to cost a bit of it to replace that window. They wanted us to pay for it but we couldn’t see how it was our fault. If I had understood back then, these words that Jesus speaks to us today, I would have willingly handed over the money to preserve the relationship. But that’s not how it worked out and eventually the relationship fell apart. We may have been in the right but from God’s perspectives it was our hearts that were wrong. Folks, selflessness always trumps selfishness.
The third illustration Jesus uses is found in verse 41 … “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” (Matthew 5:41, NIV) Roman law stated that a Roman soldier could force an ordinary individual to carry a burden for them up to a distance of one mile. The Romans were occupying Israel at this time. The Jews were a conquered people. You can imagine how reluctant they would be to help the Romans in any way and yet the law demanded that they had to carry the burden for that one mile distance. It didn’t matter how inconvenient it was, it didn’t matter what other pressing business they had to take care of, when that Roman soldier asked them to carry that burden that’s exactly what they would have to drop everything else in order to do.
We see an example of this in the 27th chapter of this Gospel. Jesus is being led out to be crucified by a group of Roman soldiers. Scripture tells us that “As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.” (Matthew 27:32, NIV) They pressed him into service and he had no choice in the matter.
Jesus turns around and tells us that righteousness means more than simply doing the bare minimum that is required of you. If you’re forced to go the first mile, then give a second mile willingly. Go above and beyond what you are required to do. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law lived in that first mile. The Christian is to live in the second mile.
Picture this … it’s the end of a long day. Mom and Dad are both exhausted and want nothing more than to sleep. Mom’s been home all day looking after the newborn baby, trying to take care of the house and to have something ready for supper when her husband gets home. It’s been like this since the baby was born – it’s only been two months but already it seems as though it has been forever. She’s not getting any rest because the baby needs to be changed and fed two or three times during the night.
Dad’s not in much better shape. He’s worked hard all day outside the home trying to provide for his growing family. He’s having to put out fires at work all day and doesn’t look forward to having to do it when he gets home too, but he knows raising a child is hard work and he appreciates all that his wife has been able to do. He’s been trying to help out and lighten the load that she bears yet he’s not sleeping well either and he misses his wife who seems to be completely wrapped up in the life of their newborn child – so much so that she seems to have forgotten about him.
That night they put the baby down and fall into bed completely done in. Three hours later they are awakened by a crying child. Both of them pretend to be asleep hoping the other one will get up and see to the baby’s needs. When that doesn’t work, one of them elbows the other and says, “The baby’s crying. Get up. It’s your turn.” To which the other replies, “No, it’s not. I got up last night. It’s your turn.” And so it goes, back and forth till finally one of them gets up and, in frustration and anger at the unfairness of it all, goes to take care of their baby.
That’s living in the first mile. Someone living in the second mile might say, “Honey, I know you need your rest. Let me take care of our baby tonight. You go and get your sleep and I’ll see to everything else.” Imagine how marriages and relationships of any sort might be transformed if we were willing to run the second mile marathon for grace trumps obligation any day.
The final illustration that Jesus gives here is found in verse 42 … “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:42, NIV) That’s always the temptation, isn’t it? To turn away from those in need, to keep for ourselves that which we have worked so hard to get. And we can find ourselves looking down on those who have less, on those who find themselves in need. We can develop an ungodly pride that thinks less of those who have less than we do but Scripture tells us this is not to be our mindset. In the Book of Deuteronomy we have these words …
“Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:9–11, NIV)
Love trumps hatred every time in God’s eyes. The one who gives to the one in need not only is showing that they are trusting in God to provide for them, but they are also manifesting the love of God as they show that love to others. Does that mean we must give to everyone who asks? No, Scripture also teaches that we are to give wisely. Later in this Gospel Jesus says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6, NIV) We must give wisely but, if there is a genuine need, and we are able to help alleviate it, then we ought to be doing so for all the good things with which we have been blessed, have come from God. And God desires that we should treat others with grace and mercy for that is how He has treated us. Love invites us to be generous and to so glorify God.
And that’s the heart of the reason as to why we are to live with this deeper righteousness than the Pharisees had. Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14–16, NIV) When you repay evil for evil and insult for insult, when you do the bare minimum that the law requires, when you serve only grudgingly, and when you turn away from those in need – well, you’re only doing what the world itself is doing. Jesus asks more of us so that God might be glorified.
When we go that second mile we give the world pause to wonder why – why didn’t we retaliate, why we gave so generously, why were we so willing to go above and beyond what was required and to serve with a willing heart even though it inconvenienced us or cost us. And that becomes an opportunity to share your faith with someone who needs to know Jesus. It’s an opportunity for your light to shine and illuminate Jesus.
See, the first mile is crowded. It’s full of people doing the bare minimum that is required of them and demanding their rights. It’s often full of bitter, resentful, disillusioned and hurting people. The second mile isn’t nearly as crowded. But that’s where you and I are called to be living – second mile marathoners because the second mile never ends. It’s a way of living life that brings glory to God. Jesus says, “everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35, NIV) The type of love He is talking about is a second mile kind of love. That’s the type of love that makes the world sit up and take notice.
Pastor Wayne Lawson puts it this way … “To love your neighbor is the first mile - to love your enemy is the second mile. To bless those who bless you is the first mile, - to bless those who curse you is the second mile. To do good to those who do good to you is the first mile - to do good to those who hate you is the second mile. Praying for those who pray for you is the first mile - praying for those who despitefully use you is the second mile.” (Living in the Second Mile by Wayne Lawson, www.sermoncentral.com)
And you and I can be second mile marathoners as we permit forgiveness to trump revenge, selflessness to trump selfishness, grace to trump vengeance, and love to trump hatred. I look at the world in which we live and I see that Christians often have a bad reputation in the media. But what would the world think if Christians began to live in the second mile? If they consistently did more than the law required, gave more than expected, served more willingly than anticipated, blessed those who cursed us and prayed for those who persecuted us? What would the world think as we practiced forgiveness, walked in love, extended grace and emulated the heart of Christ in all we did?
Do you want to know what would happen – what does happen when Christians put these things into practice? Eyes would be opened, hearts made ready, lives transformed and God glorified! And that’s what we want to see, isn’t it?
Let me close with these verses from Romans 12. We heard them just before the message and it is fitting that we close with them as well. Let them serve as a reminder of the life God is calling us to live …
Friends, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17–21, NIV)
So may it be … let us pray …
