WHOEVER FORCES YOU TO GO ONE
MILE,
GO
WITH HIM TWO: kai hostis se aggareusei (3SFAI) milion en, hupage (2SPAM)
met' autou duo.
(Mt
27:32;
Mark 15:21;
Luke 23:26)
See F B Meyer's comments on
The Second Mile
Spurgeon explains that...
Governments in those days
demanded forced service through their petty officers. Christians were to
be of a yielding temper, and bear a double exaction rather than provoke
ill words and anger. We ought not to evade taxation, but stand ready to
render to Caesar his due. “Yield” is our watchword. To stand up
against force is not exactly our part; we may leave that to others. How
few believe the long-suffering, non-resistant doctrines of our King!
Forces (29)
(aggareuo related to ággaros = courier, a word derived
from Persian language) means to press into service, to send off an or
public courier. The aggaroi originally described couriers who had
authority to press into service men, horses, ships or anything which
came in their way and which might serve to hasten their journey. Later
the verb aggareuo came to mean to press into service for a
journey.
The Persians initiated a kind of
"Pony Express" in which the mail-carrying rider simply "borrowed"
horses, pressing them into his service so that he could continue his
journey. When that horse became tired he would press another into
service, etc.
Robertson notes that
aggareuo was...
The word is of Persian origin
and means public couriers or mounted messengers (aggaroi) who were
stationed by the King of Persia at fixed localities, with horses ready
for use, to send royal messages from one to another. So if a man is
passing such a post-station, an official may rush out and compel him to
go back to another station to do an errand for the king. This was called
impressment into service. This very thing was done to Simon of Cyrene
who was thus compelled to carry the cross of Christ (Matt. 27:32,
[ēggareusan]).
Vincent has a similar note on
the meaning of aggareuo...
This word throws the whole
injunction into a picture which is entirely lost to the English reader.
A man is travelling, and about to pass a post-station, where horses and
messengers are kept in order to forward royal missives as quickly as
possible. An official rushes out, seizes him, and forces him to go back
and carry a letter to the next station, perhaps to the great detriment
of his business. The word is of Persian origin, and denotes the
impressment into service, which officials were empowered to make of any
available persons or beasts on the great lines of road where the royal
mails were carried by relays of riders. (Matthew 5)
Roman law gave a Roman soldier
the right to conscript civilians to carry their burdens for one mile
(and only for one mile), the equivalent of a Roman mile, slightly
shorter than the modern mile. The purpose of this law was to relieve the
soldier but it was extremely inconvenient to the citizen pressed into
service. To add "insult to injury" those carrying the soldiers equipment
or weapons were the very ones the Romans were oppressing! Not
surprisingly therefore, the Jews had a particular hatred for this law
and soldiers who pressed them into carrying their packs! In
fairness, it should be noted that this law could be invoked by any Roman
soldier of any citizen anywhere in the Roman Empire, regardless of who
the citizen was or what their circumstances were. Undoubtedly, most of
Jesus' audience had been forced "to go one mile" and now He is saying go
two!
What is Jesus' message? He is
choosing something that is particularly despicable and stating that
citizens of the Kingdom of heaven should go the second mile willingly
and with a right attitude of heart, actions and attitudes that can only
come about supernaturally from a new heart controlled by God's Spirit.
Dwight Pentecost explains it
this way...
Our Lord said that, if someone
conscripted you to carry his burden the required mile and you came to
the end of the mile and the soldier released you, you should gladly
carry it further. The conscripted one had his rights. They were
protected by law, but he had the right to give up his rights to manifest
the righteousness of Christ. (Pentecost,
J. D. Design for living: Lessons in Holiness from the Sermon on the
Mount. Kregel Publications)
(Bolding added)
Dear Kingdom Citizen, how do you
respond when someone "robs" you of your cherished freedom to do what you
want to do and ask you to carry their burden ("even the first mile!")?
Do you gratefully surrender your rights and "go the extra mile" or do
you yield only to the "first mile" and even that only begrudgingly?
Scripture speaks of a man named
Cyrene whom the Roman soldiers pressed into duty, Luke recording that...
when they (the Roman soldiers)
led Him (Jesus) away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming in
from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
(Luke 23:36)
Kent Hughes explains
Jesus' charge this way...
What Jesus was enjoining here
was willing cheerfulness for any of his followers who would come under
this form of persecution. There are two ways to do any task. You can mow
the lawn with a hangdog expression, like you are mowing the Mojave
desert. Or you can mow it and say, "There are birds in the sky, there
are clouds above, it is not raining - this is a great day!" When you
wash dishes, you can water them with your tears or you can sing hymns.
Jesus calls for a revolutionary response in a difficult situation -
cheerfulness. The kind that would cause a hardened soldier to say, "What's
with him? This person has something I do not understand."
Ridiculous? Impractical? Pollyannaish? I do not think so! This is the
way Rome was won! Revolutionarily righteous people possessing
revolutionary joy even when treated unfairly call everyone's hearts
upward. (Hughes, R. K.
Sermon on the Mount: The Message of
the Kingdom. Crossway Books)
(Bolding added)
Freeman in Manners and Customs
of the Bible adds these comments on going the extra mile...
The reference here is to an
ancient Persian custom. The Persians introduced the use of regular
couriers to carry letters or news. The king’s courier had absolute
command of all help that was necessary in the performance of his task.
He could press horses into service, and compel the owners to accompany
him if he desired. To refuse compliance with his demands was an
unpardonable offense against the king. There was also a practice in
Roman-occupied territory that any Roman soldier could require a citizen
to carry his equipment, cloak, or other burdens for one mile. This may
have been the practice that the Lord was specifically referring to when
He instructs His followers to unselfishly “go the extra mile” as
testimony to the generosity of the Christian spirit. The expression has
come to mean to help someone beyond what is required or expected of you.
(Freeman,
J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. Manners & Customs of the Bible. 1996. Whitaker
House)
F B Meyer has the following
devotional thoughts entitled "The Christian Extra"...
OUR LORD refers here to the usage of
the East in the transmission of royal messages, which were carried
forward by relays of messengers, much in the fashion of the fiery cross
in the Highlands, as described in "The Lady of the Lake." The messengers
were "press-men"; each town or village was compelled to forward the
message to the next, and the first man happened upon was bound to
forward the courier with his
horses or mules.
In some such way emergencies are continually happening to us all. We
arise in the morning not expecting any special demand for help, or any
other circumstance to interfere with the regular routine of the day's
work, and then suddenly and unexpectedly a demand bursts upon us, and we
are obliged to go in a direction which we never contemplated. We are
compelled to go one mile! Then the question arises. Now you have done
your duty, performed what you were bound to perform, given what any
other person would have given, what are you going to do about the next
mile? You had no option about the first; about the second you have an
opportunity of choice. Your action in the Matter which is optional
determines whether or not you have entered into the spirit and ministry
of Christ.
Let us not be stingy and niggardly in our dealings with men. There are
certain things that must be done, but let us go beyond the must, and do
our duty with a smile, and with generous kindness. It is not enough to
pay our servants or employees, let us be thankful for their service; it
is not enough to pay our debts, let us give the word also of
appreciation; it is not enough to simply do the work for which our
employer remunerates us, let us do it with alacrity and eagerness,
willing to finish a piece of necessary service even at cost to
ourselves. As the followers of Christ, we are to be stars bearing our
light on the vault of night; flowers shedding fragrance on the world;
fountains rising in the arid wastes; always giving love and helpful
ministry to this thankless and needy world, and as we break and
distribute our barley loaves and fishes, our hands will become filled
again, and with the measure we mete, it shall be measured to us again
(Luk6:38).
PRAYER - O God, may we be more gracious to those around us. May we fill
up the measure o four possibilities, and so be perfect, as Thou, our
Father, art perfect in love. AMEN. (Our Daily Walk)
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F B Meyer also
has a discourse on this section entitled...
THE SECOND MILE
(Matt. 5:38-42.)
IT is the second mile that tests our
character. About the first there is no controversy. We must traverse it
whether we will or not.
Our Lord refers to the usage of the
East in the transmission of the royal messages. They are carried forward
by relays of messengers, much in the fashion of the Fiery Cross in the
Highlands, as Sir Walter Scott describes it in "The Lady of the Lake."
But the messengers were pressed men, i. e., each village or township was
bound to forward the message to the next, and the first man that was
happened on, however pressing his own business, was obliged to afford
the use of his horses or mules, and go forward with the royal courier,
giving him a mount and accompanying him.
In the same way emergencies are
continually happening to us all. We leave our homes in the morning not
expecting any demand for help or any other circumstance to interfere
with the regular routine of the day's engagements; and then, all
suddenly and unexpectedly, there are the sounds of horses' hoofs. A
great demand has burst in on our lives, and we are obliged to go off in
a direction which we never contemplated. We have no option. We are
compelled to go one mile, and then the question will arise: Now you have
performed what you were bound to perform, and given what any other man
would have given, what are you going to do? The next mile is of prime
necessity; it is in your option to go or not to go, and your action will
determine whether or not you have entered into the inner heart of
Christ, and are His disciple, not in word only, but" in deed and in
truth."
What as to the left cheek? That the
right should have been struck is an incident which has happened to you
altogether apart from your choice. It does not reveal your character in
one way or the other, but your behaviour with respect to the left cheek
will show immediately what you are.
What as to your cloak? Apparently
your creditor can claim your tunic, and there is no merit in giving this
up, any must have done as much; but when that is gone, what will you do
about your cloak? This is the test of what you really are.
But does our Lord mean that we should
do literally as He says? Are we really to go the second mile, and turn
the left cheek, and let our cloak go in the wake of our coat? These
questions have been asked all along the ages, and answered as we answer
them still. Each questioner must be fully persuaded in his own mind; and
according to your faith, so it will be done unto you.
Many saintly souls have yielded a
literal obedience to these precepts. It is recorded of the eccentric but
devoted Billy Bray that in going down into the pit, shortly after his
remarkable conversion, an old companion gave him a stinging blow on the
cheek. "Take that," he said, "for turning Methodist." In former times
such an insult would never have been attempted, for the whole country
knew that Billy Bray was an inveterate pugilist. All the answer that he
gave, however, was, "The Lord forgive thee, lad, as I do, and bring thee
to a better mind; I'll pray for thee." Three or four days after his
assailant came to him under the deepest conviction of sin and asked his
forgiveness.
The head of the constabulary in a
great district in India told me that when he became a Christian he found
it necessary to withdraw from the Gymkana (which is the European club
and society rendezvous in most Indian cities), and his action in this
matter aroused very strong feeling against him amongst his former
associates. One day, as he was driving on the highroad, a well-known
society man, driving past him in the other direction, rose up in his
dog-cart and cut at him a tremendous blow with his whip, saying as he
swore, "Take that, you." My friend, who is a very powerful man and of
commanding presence, took it quietly, waited his opportunity of doing
this man a kindness, and I believe it was the means of his conversion
also.
In connection with a missionary
society working among the tribes on the Congo, in which I am deeply
interested, one of the missionaries resolved that he would teach a
literal obedience to these words of our Lord, lest any evasion of them
might lessen their authority over the hearts and lives of His people.
His hearers were greatly interested and excited, and were not slow in
putting the missionary to the test. On one memorable day they gathered
around his house, and began asking for the articles which excited their
cupidity, and which he had brought at such cost from home. In an hour or
two his house was literally stripped, and his wife and he betook
themselves to prayer, for, of course, it is impossible for Europeans to
live in that climate without many accessories which are needless for the
natives. But, in the evening, under the shadow of the night, one after
another stole back bringing the articles which he had taken away, and
confessing that it was impossible to retain it in his possession,
because of the burden which had come upon his heart.
Many such instances are probably
occurring every day, and compel us to believe that there is a range of
laws which should govern our dealings with our fellows, and which are
only unfolded to those who live not by sight, but by faith in the Son of
God. Faith has been called the sixth sense, and lays its hands on a
third key-board of the great organ of existence.
Far be it from us, therefore, to
judge any who feel it to be their duty to obey these words of the Master
in all literality.
But even if to be taken literally
there must be some reserves. For instance, when our Lord says, Resist
not evil, it is impossible to apply His words universally. Suppose, for
instance, as we pass along a road, we encounter a brutal man grossly
maltreating a woman or a little child, or a gang of roughs assaulting a
fellow traveller, it cannot be that we are forbidden to resist the
wrongdoer to utmost of our power. The whole machinery of the eternal and
invisible world is continually being called into requisition to succour
us against" foul fiends," as Spencer puts it, and surely we may do much
in these scenes of human existence. Clearly our Lord only forbids us to
strike for purposes of private retaliation and revenge; we are not to be
avengers in our personal quarrels, we are to guard against taking the
law into our own hands lest our passion should drift us outside the warm
zone of the love of God.
It is the personal element in the
resistance of wrong that our Lord forbids; but He would surely never
arrest the soldier, policeman, or even the private citizen, from
stopping, so far as possible, deeds of wrong and acts of criminal
assault. If thieves break into your home, or wicked men should try to
injure wife or child; or you should come on some poor Jew who is set on
by robbers which strip him of his property, and beat him almost to
death, you are bound to interfere with a prayer to God that He would
succour you.
And when the wrong has been done, as
the Lord teaches us by His own behaviour, we may reprimand and
remonstrate and appeal to the conscience and heart. When one of the
officers of the court struck Jesus with his hand, Jesus answered him,
"If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why
smitest thou Me?" But there we must stop. We must not say in our heart,
"I will be even with thee, and give thee as much as thou hast given me."
It is equally our duty, as it seems
to me, to take measures to arrest and punish the wrongdoer. Supposing
that a man has wronged you, and that you have good reason to believe
that he is systematically wronging others; if you have an opportunity of
having him punished, you are absolutely obliged; as it seems to me, to
take such action against him as will make it impossible for him to
pursue his career of depredation. If your lot should be cast in a
mining-camp in the Far West, which was dominated by some swaggering
ruffian, and he assaulted you, I do not think that you would be
contravening the law of Christ if you were to give him so strong a
handling that his power for evil would be arrested from that hour. It
being clearly understood that you put out of your heart all private
revenge, all personal malice, and are living in a land where it is
impossible to bring the wrongdoer before judge or jury, you may be
compelled to act in a judicial capacity, doing for society what society
could not do through its legalized officers and methods. Expostulation,
argument, appeals to reason, might be employed first; but if these
failed there would be necessity to use the only other argument that
might be available.
It is clear, also, that we cannot
literally obey the Lord's injunction to give to everyone that asks. Else
the world would become full of sturdy beggars, who lived on the
hard-earned wages of the thrifty. And this would result in the undoing
of society, and of the beggars themselves. Does God give to all who ask
Him? Does He not often turn aside from the borrower? He knows what will
hurt or help us; knows that to many an entreaty His kindest answer is a
rebuff; knows that if He were to give us all we ask we should repent of
having asked so soon as we awoke in the light of eternity. So when the
drunkard or the drone asks me for money I steadfastly refuse. It is even
our duty not to give money indiscriminately, and without full
acquaintance with the applicant and his circumstances, for we may be
giving him the means of forging more tightly the fetters by which he is
bound to his sins. A piece of bread is the most we may bestow upon the
mendicant until we have some knowledge of his character, his mode of
life, and his real intentions. If only Christian people would resist the
impulse to give money to beggars of all kinds, and reserve themselves
for the more modest poor who suffer without making appeals, how much of
the evil and sorrow of our time would be remedied!
WHAT THEN DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF
US?
(1) Do not take the law into your
own hands. In the old Mosaic legislation it was enacted that as a
man had done, so it should be done to him. "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth
", " hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound,
strife for strife" (Exod. 21:24-25). But in the time of our Lord this
had been interpreted as conferring on a man the right to retaliation and
revenge. The Jews conveniently ignored Lev. 19:17-18, which expressly
forbade the private infliction of punishment.
When we are wronged we must refer the
wrong to the great organized society of which we are part. Society will
lay its hand on the wrongdoer. The judge who sits on the bench is not an
individual, but the embodiment of society, the representative of law and
order; and if he condemns a fellow-creature to penal servitude for life
there is no kind of malice or vindictive feeling in his breast.
(2) Turn Retaliation into
Redemption. When struck on the cheek the instant impulse of the
natural man is to strike back on the cheek of the smiter. There should
be a second blow. But the Master says if there be a second blow, let it
fall on your other cheek. Instead of inflicting it, suffer it. Instead
of avenging yourself on the wrongdoer, compel yourself to suffer a
second blow, in the hope that when you oppose your uncomplaining
patience to his brutality you may effect his redemption. The first blow
was of his malice, the second blow will be of your love, and this will
set new looms at work within his heart, weaving the fabric of a new
life. Thus the wrongs that men have done to God led Him to present the
other cheek to them, when He sent them His only begotten Son, who, when
He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not,
but committed Himself to Him' that judgeth righteously. The patient
sufferings of our Lord have melted the hearts of men; and, as in His
case, so in a lesser extent it will be in ours.
(3) Be large-hearted. "Freely
ye have received, freely give." Do not be stingy and niggard in your
behaviour towards men. You are obliged to yield the coat, give the
cloak; you are compelled to go for one mile at least, now, out of
sincere desire to serve the purposes of the commonwealth, go another.
The law compels you to give your cabman a shilling for two miles; but
give him an extra sixpence if you go to the extreme margin of that
distance. The law compels you to pay your debts; but if you have
incurred them, and they are rightfully due, pay them without haggling.
There are certain duties in the home which fall to our lot to be
performed: do them with a smile; that is the second mile. The husband
must give the needed money to his wife for household expenditure; let
him do it without grudging; that is his second mile. The employe must
render certain services to his employer. If he renders these with a
grudging spirit, doing only what he is paid to do, not entering into the
spirit of his work, or doing it to the utmost of his power, he is like
an impressed labourer, carrying the messages against his will; but as
soon as he does his duty with alacrity and eagerness, even staying
overtime to finish a piece of necessary service, that is his second
mile.
(4) The Master insists that we
should cultivate an ungrudging, unstinting, and generous spirit.
"God loveth a cheerful giver." Think of God in His incessant giving.
Giving His sun and His rain; giving to the Church and the miser, the
thankless and heartless, equally as to the loving and prayerful. That is
to be our great model. We are to be stars, ever pouring our light on the
vault of night; flowers, shedding fragrance, though on the desert air;
fountains, though we rise in the lonely places of the world, where only
the wild things of nature come to drink. Always giving love and help to
this thankless and needy world, because so sure that as we give, we
shall get; as we break our barley loaves and small fishes, our hands
will be filled, and filled again, out of the storehouses of God. Freely
ye have received, freely give; and in what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again.
I want to add my testimony to the
literal truth of these words. In my life I have found repeatedly that in
proportion as I have given I have gotten, and that men have given into
my bosom, according to heaven's own measure, pressed down, heaped up,
and running over.
For all this we need to have a new
Baptism of Love. The love of God must be poured into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit, who is given unto us. We must learn to unite ourselves with
our Father's redemptive purpose, looking at the wrong done to us, not so
much from our standpoint, but from that of the wrongdoer, with an
infinite pity for all the poisonous passion which is filling his heart,
and an infinite desire to deliver and save him. One thought for his
welfare will thus overmaster all desire for our personal revenge, and we
shall heap on his head the hot coals of our love, to melt his heart and
save him from himself. (F. B. Meyer. The Directory of the Devout Life)
