Being An Extra Miler

"If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles." Matt 5:41  New Living Translation (©2007)

The reason I quoted this verse from the New Living translation is because it more accurately reveals the meaning behind the words of Jesus taken from His Sermon on the Mount.Going the extra mile is one of those principles of living from out of our new creation being while on this Human Journey, that I felt I wanted to take a post to expound. It is really a great principle to know, that reaps a great benefit to the "Extra Miler".

An explanation of the Roman law from which this principle is based on is found here  An excerpt of which is: "In first century Judea, the poor were oppressed under a practice called angareia – the involuntary drafting of peasants to carry the gear of Roman soldiers. Angareia is seen in the Bible when Simon of Cyrene was forced by Roman soldiers to carry the cross of Jesus. He was only forced to carry the cross part of the way, however, since the Roman government had ruled that the maximum distance a man could be forced to carry gear under angareia was one mile.

One mile might not sound very far, but Roman soldiers often carried at least seventy pounds of gear with them. If a man was asked to carry this gear for a mile and he resisted, he would be beaten, arrested, and imprisoned. If he surrendered to the Roman soldier’s demand, he would have to carry the gear for an entire mile. After one mile, the Roman soldier would tell him to stop, since carrying it further than one mile was a crime under Roman law."

The writer goes on to suggest that Jesus taught this principle of going the extra mile as a way of peaceful resistance since the Jewish peasant could turn the tables on the soldier because the soldier could be beaten himself if he forced someone to carry it further than a mile. This is the same explanation I have researched from several sources, however I am in complete disagreement with this reasoning.

I am fully convinced Jesus was NOT teaching peaceful resistance. He was more concerned with teaching how to live from the Law of the Spirit of Life (Rom.8: 2) His concern was never about resisting the Romans, nor teaching others to resist them. Jesus taught to LOVE your enemies! To do good to those who persecute you! How is that consistent with the idea that a Jew forced by a Roman soldier to carry a pack, would turn the tables on that soldier and seek to get him in trouble with his superiors?

Okay, so what is really happening here then? I believe that what is really taught here is something that will change the heart of the person who is obligated and resentful, to one who is free and at peace! Think about it. As long as the Jewish boy, or man is obligated to carry this pack for that mile, he is being subjugated under control of the soldier by law, but the very step that is taken past that obligitory mile is one in which the Jewish person now takes control of his own life. During that first mile he could be filled with hate and anger, but the second he takes that next step, he is freed from such negative emotions!

How could he still hate the soldier when his obligation is complete, and yet he still continues to carry this heavy pack further down the road? He is not doing it as some sort of peaceful resistance, but rather it is to free himself of any hatred and un-forgiveness, and bitterness within his own heart.

Imagine the surprise of the soldier when the mile is finished, and yet this person does not throw the pack on to the ground and kick dust on it, and curse the soldier all the while running away! Instead he continues carrying it further. "What's the big idea?" The soldier might ask. "Are you trying to get me in trouble?" At this point the Jewish man might say, "Not at all, but I was listening to a man named Jesus, and He said that it is something that we must do as a way of living a New and better way, full of life and peace."

Now, instead of fulfilling the obligation of an enemy, he has opened up the opportunity for God to work a miracle within the hearts of himself and the soldier. If the soldier resists, since he suspects foul play, then the man might just offer to be some company along the way. If the soldier further resists, that is okay too since it was really meant to first release the heart of the Jewish man from his own hatred.

You see, it is not limited to just the first century Jerusalem, but this same principle applies to right here and now with any obligation you may find yourself having to fulfill which is causing you bitterness and making you resentful. A prime example is something I heard when I first learned this principle. It involved a man who went through a messy divorce. He lost much of his own assets, and was obligated to pay alimony on top of everything else. Every time he wrote out that monthly check, he could not help but feel a rage within, as all of the memories of how he had been unfairly treated came back to him. It was making him bitter and angry, and he sought help to get rid of these negative emotions that were eating him up inside.

The advice that was given to him was the next time he would sit down to write the obligitory alimony check, that he was to take the amount he was supposed to write, and add more money to that total!

"What?" He cried out! "I am already paying more than I should have to, and now you think I should pay more?"

What was explained to him, and what he finally began to understand was that it would be impossible to be bitter about paying an amount greater than what was owed! If you do more than you are obligated to do, you can decide how much more. You now become in control of the situation, instead of having the obligation control you. Every dollar more than required is a dollar free from the prison of bitterness and resentment. It becomes a release. It becomes and escape from the anger of hateful emotions.

Jesus says to love your enemies. How is that possible? Perhaps one way is to take them off of the enemies list by Being An Extra Miler.