Go the Second Mile

Rev Gideon Lee

We are going to look this morning at the beatitudes. Some of the things in this passage has been misinterpreted. 

Matthew 5:38-42

Go the Second Mile

38 “ You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

The nature of man is that if you poke my eye I will poke your eye. If you break my tooth I will come back and revenge and repay. 

To become a Christian is quite easy. You just have to put your faith in Jesus and say the sinners prayer. But it is more difficult to be a Christian. 

It is not the nature of man to do what we have just read. We are more inclined to repay. God is not talking about revenge but gave us an overall idea of what it means to be a Christian. Someone who is willing to go the second mile. The extra mile. 

What does it mean to go the extra mile? It is actually already outlined in the bible. 

1 . You are willing to get worst than what you deserve. 

I have heard this many times as a pastor. Does it mean when someone slap you on the left cheek you turn the other cheek? Then you have missed what the bible say. You need to understand the Jewish culture or even the Chinese culture. 

A slap actually do not so much injure a person than as to insult a person. For the Jews, to spit on his face or to slap the person is a great insult. This is what they did to our Lord Jesus. That was the beginning to insulting him. To tell him he is a nobody. 

Matthew 26:67

Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,

This was what they did to Jesus. If you slap the person with the back of your hands, it is the insult of insult. The bible says if the person slapped you on the left, you are to turn the other cheek. 

What Jesus is saying is not about passive action but about revenge. As hard as it may be do not retaliate. This verse must be read hand in hand with Romans 12:19. 

Romans 12:19

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

If we are prone to revenge, there is no room for God to intervene in our situation. I am not saying you become a doormat or don't defend yourself. We have to demonstrate love. That is what is meant to turn the other cheek. Not only do we say we are Christians but we give room for God to work in our situation. 

When we retaliate there is a bad motive and we feel very evil. We do that and think justice but our justice cannot be like God's justice. We just want to hurt the person. When someone insults you, do not retaliate. Going the second mile is to offer love to the other person. You can say it's hard and I agree but this is what God requires of us. 

I remember a story. Remember I said we are not to be a doormat or not defend ourselves. Going the second mile means we are willing to suffer. 

2. We are willing to give more than what we are asked. 

If someone wants to sue you, in those times you can pay your fine with your clothing. Cloth was not easily available hence it was precious. And normally they would give their tunic or inner clothes. But they would never give their cloak which was the most valuable clothing which was used as a blanket to keep warm. 

Exodus 22:26-27

If you ever take your neighbor's garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

Jesus is saying that we are to do more like giving him even your cloak. If what you pay is not enough, give him your cloak also. You may say this is tough man. We often just want to do what's enough. 

Like my children. When they cannot finish their food, I would say cannot. Finish your food. And they will ask me how much more. And I may ask them to eat the food and half the rice and they would draw a line on their plate. They will try to eat the minimum. 

I am treading on dangerous ground. Sometimes also our tithes. We often pay 10% but what we do is we minus our EPF our Socso and pay the balance 10%. We try to give the minimum. But God gave us the best. His only son. 

We just want to give the minimum. I give another example. A man goes to the emporium and wanted to buy perfume for his wife. The salesgirl took up a perfume worth 50 ringgit. Then he asked whether can find something less. So the salesgirl brought one that is 30 ringgit. Then he think again and ask if there is something cheaper. The girl brought something worth 10 ringgit and he ask again is there is something cheaper? The salesgirl brought him a mirror. 

God gave us his best. But how often we just wants to give the minimum. 

The Roman soldiers who carry their weapon on the road has a right to ask anyone on the road to carry his weapon and they are compelled to carry his load for one mile. So the Jews knows exactly how far is one mile. They will carry one mile and not an inch more. Jesus is saying if someone ask you to walk one mile, go the second mile. Go further than what is required. 

This is a true story. A pastor was filling petrol for his car. A truck pulled alongside the pastor's car and looked lost. He asked the pastor if he knows the address and he knew where the place was. But he also know if he gave the direction, he will not get there as there are many turns. 

How many times have you been asked directions and you sometimes try to give directions. Some people even purposely give the wrong direction. I don't understand some people. 

In this case the son said why don't you show the way. The pastor knows it would take him 20 to 25 minutes to show the way. But the pastor decided to show the way and asked the truck driver to follow him. 

After reaching the place, the truck driver was so grateful and got down to thank the pastor. The pastor then ask the driver for the time that I spent taking you here can you give me 5 minutes to share Jesus with you. The driver said that he is a Christian but his wife was just murdered and he said he knew God sent the pastor to minister to him. 

Go the second mile. 

3. Give to the one who ask you and do not turn away from the one who ask you. 

What the person asking for come from a genuine need but this verse must be read with another verse. 

Psalms 112:5

A good man deals graciously and lends;

He will guide his affairs with discretion.

Use your discretion to help the person. It is not a blank cheque. Sometimes just giving money or lending a person will not help the person. 

How often we meet people who ask for money and ask for money as they want to go home but need to buy bus ticket. So I may say we go to the bus ticketing counter to buy the ticket but the person may say no I don't want to waste your time as the queue is long. Does he want the ticket? He may just want your money. Going the second mile is like that. Help him by going the extra mile. Not just give money to get rid of the person. 

I often don't like to give money to help a person. We must go the extra mile to really help a person. 

When we do more than what is required, we go the second mile and you can be sure God's there. I say this. You go the first mile, shows that you are a slave. The one that goes the second mile, is a son. A son does more than what is required.