Second Mile

Matthew 5:41 (NKJV)

41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

JEWISH UNIQUIE LAW

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This scripture is from the very well-known passage of the “Sermon On The Mount”. Israel, during the time of Christ, was under Roman rule. They were their oppressors, and were hated by the Jews. One of the most hated of Roman laws: - The one that would allow a soldier to force a person to carry his possessions one mile!

The word “compel” carries with it the idea of “a readiness and willingness to submit to inconvenience or unreasonable demands.” if a Roman soldier demanded that a Jewish man carry his burden a mile, which was what the law specified, then Jesus said that he should carry it twain, or two miles.

Simon Cyrene

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Scripture tells us of another who was “compelled” as Jesus made His way to Golgotha:

Mt. 27:32

"And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross."

Simon Cyrene had no choice but to carry the cross, but Jesus says the Second Mile will be up to our own volunteering.

But notice the wording that Jesus uses. He doesn’t say anything about a Roman Soldier. He says, “And whosoever shall compel thee”. To you and I today this would mean, “If a neighbor” or a “co-worker” or a “church member” would compel us to do a certain thing then we should do twice as much as they expect us to do.

Jesus tells them, to carry their bags an EXTRA mile. The first mile was done grudgingly and reluctantly. But Jesus says, go TWO miles! He is trying to convey the attitude of a Christian. Anybody can grudge and complain about their situation...But, a Christian can use it towards God’s glory! Consider what a Roman soldier might think if...

A man tells him, he wants to carry his stuff another mile? It will floor him! Such is the Christian walk today.

We are not merely to live the Christian life; We are to go the extra mile! Second Mile Christianity

WHAT IS DUTY?

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Let me show you from bible first what is Duty and how we supposed to do our duty first. The irony is if we do our duty only we are unprofitable Servant to our Master.

Luke 17:7-10 (NKJV)

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7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.[a] 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15(NKJV)

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14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

If He died for us, we ought to live for Him.

Romans 12:1(NKJV)

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1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Your reasonable service! In Urdu translation it says it’s our “IBADAT” which is “Worship” but here in English its says it’s not worship but it is our service or Duty.

In light of the facts of the gospel, that Jesus died for us to save us from hell and give us eternal life. IT IS ONLY REASONABLE THAT WE SERVE GOD!

CARRY YOUR CROSS

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If God compels you to carry His cross one mile, it is your DUTY to do so. It is your reasonable service. In fact, we are to say to ourselves: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which is our DUTY!

The meaning of duty!

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Webster’s 1828 dictionary

Meaning

• That which a person owes to another;

• That by which a person is bound, by any natural, moral legal, or spiritual obligation, to pay, do or perform.

Notice the words "Owe," and "Bound."

Example: A soldier on guard

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He holds the lives of those who sleep peacefully under his watch, in his hands. The enemy cannot attack without warning as long as he stands guard. He must remain alert, and never forget that it is his duty to keep watch. At first, he is excited. He is a soldier for the greatest army in the world. He carries a powerful weapon in his hands. He considers the importance of his job; the lives that depend on him...and, he holds his position proudly.