Go the extra mile

 November 4, 2024 

And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Matthew 5:41 

The verse from Matthew’s gospel comes from a chapter that you will easily recognize.  This chapter from Matthew is titled, “The Sermon on the Mount” and Jesus is teaching the people how to respond to someone when you have been wronged.  The world tells us to take an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth when we have been treated unfairly.  That sounds good to a guy that has a pretty hefty amount of Eads temper in his blood!  But that is not the way Jesus taught and certainly not the way he reacted to the many people who mistreated him all the way to his death on the cross.  I think a lot of lessons can be learned from the verse from Matthew 5:41. 

First of all, a little history lesson from some of the boring reading that I do.  During the time of the Roman Empire they built a network of roads that covered over 50,000 miles.  These roads included bridges and every twenty miles there was a state owned inn for travelers to spend the night. These roads were constructed in such a way that many of them can still be found today.  They have lasted much longer than any of the roads built today with modern technology.  Along these roads there was a marker at each mile point. These stone markers would tell the traveler the distance to each town along the road he was traveling and directions to points of interest.  The old saying of, “All roads lead to Rome” was true because each mile marker included the distance the traveler had traveled away from Rome, the center of the Roman Empire.  The phrase, “Go the extra mile” comes from the Roman Empire.  It was a common phrase to mean helping someone more than they expected. We have probably all had someone go the extra mile for us and we have all probably gone many extra miles for others.  I wonder if Jesus used this phrase in his sermon because the people in the audience would know the meaning. 

The game of football requires you to go the extra mile if you want to experience success either as a player or a coach. Doing extra work as a player, staying away from distractions that can keep you from the game, and studying the game are all ways a player and coach can go the extra mile. The consuming nature of the job and a coach’s natural desire to do more is the part that is equally exhausting and what keeps you excited about the job. In our Christian walk, going the extra mile for someone in need is also a special time.  However, in the verse from Matthew 5:41 Jesus says, “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles”.  I don’t think he is talking about helping someone who is grateful for the help and it creates a special moment for both of you.  Actually, in the time Jesus lived on the earth, the Romans had total control over the Jews.  A Roman soldier could make a Jew serve him.  He could make the Jew carry his load for a mile, but one mile only.  The Romans even made Simon of Cyrene carry Jesus’ cross to Calvary.  Jesus is telling the Jews to not only do the uncomfortable task demanded by the Roman soldier but to do double the amount.  He’s not talking about helping someone do something that is enjoyable and I am sure he is not talking about football!  He is talking about going the extra mile when it is difficult.  The days when the person you are going the extra mile for is ungrateful or treats you like you owe them the help.  Those people become more difficult to deal with as you go through life!  People become less grateful and believe they are somehow owed the help but we must remember that we do not work for them.  We work for a Savior who tells us to go the extra mile, but also promises the reward is at the end of that second mile. 

Coach Eads