Sunday, February 23, 2014

“Going the Extra Mile!” Matt. 5.38-48, Feb. ’14 Series A


1.       Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word for us this morning is taken from Matthew 5:38-48 and it’s entitled, “Going the Extra Mile!” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.      “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” The humiliation that Jesus describes here had its origin with the Persians. In fact, the Greek word translated “forces” is of Persian origin. The Persians initiated a kind of Pony Express in which the mail-carrying rider simply “borrowed” horses. He started off with his letter riding one pony, and when that pony got tired he borrowed another, and when that one got tired he borrowed another, and he would do this over and over again … He sort of rustled his way across the land. During Roman times this custom was common. Also, whenever a Roman official or soldier asked anyone within the Empire to carry a burden a mile, that person had to do it regardless of who he was or what the circumstances were. Almost all Jews had been subject to this, and they hated the very mention of it.
3.      This form of persecution fell upon a believer because of his identification with Jesus. Some think that may be why Simon of Cyrene was made to carry Christ’s cross. The Roman soldiers knew he loved Jesus so they said, “You carry the cross!” (See Matthew 27:32).  What Jesus is telling us here is to have a willing cheerfulness if we find ourselves under this form of persecution. There are two ways to do any task. You can mow the lawn with a bad attitude, like you are mowing the Mojave desert. Or you can mow it with a good attitude 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 don’t understand.” Ridiculous? Impractical? I don’t think so! This is the way Rome was won! Revolutionarily righteous people possessing revolutionary joy even when treated unfairly call everyone’s hearts upward.  This is what Jesus means when He calls us to go the extra mile.
4.      Many successful businessmen make a complete failure of their home life.  In public they appear very friendly, but while they’re with their family they are irritable and domineering.  At home, they reveal no nobility of character or kindness of heart.  Others are kind only to their kind.  They help only those who help them.  And we all know about getting even with those who’ve hurt us. We’ve all done it before, and we know how good it can feel. Sadly, it comes to us all too naturally, doesn’t it? Just think back to your childhood. You can only put up with the class bully stealing the dessert from your lunch tray so many times before you’ve had enough and begin to plot your revenge. Or that driver on the freeway who cuts you off not once, but twice—you’ll teach him a lesson.  We could go on, but what would be the point? All of our plotting—sometimes calculated, oftentimes instantaneous—meets its end in our Lord’s arresting statement, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (v 44). But how? you ask. Where’s the fairness in that? Does Jesus mean to say that there should be no justice?
5.      The philosophy of the natural heart, untouched by the Gospel of Jesus, demands “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”  “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”  The Christian precept, however, asks that you overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:31).  Let’s listen to Jesus and how He calls us to go the extra mile.
6.      In Matthew 5:38–4838[Jesus says], “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
7.      We can’t live peaceably with other people if we refuse to follow these Christian proverbs Jesus lays down for us in the Sermon on the Mount.  He gave five distinct commands to those who want to get along with other people.  1)  “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”  Don’t seek revenge, but forgive.  2)  “If anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”  Yield rather than being stubborn and uncompromising.  3)  “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”  Do the extra.  Give with a smile.  4)  “Give to the one who begs from you.”  Do not live self-centered and selfish lives.  5)  “Love your enemies.”  Show kindness to those who are unkind.  But why should we go out of our way for those who are nasty and ugly to us?  To show that we are the children of God, always willing to go the extra mile.
8.      Jesus tells us that we as Christians are different.  If we’re thoughtful only to friends and show favors only to those who show us favors, then we’re no better than unbelievers.  The gangster does favors for his kind.  Thieves protect one another and are on good terms with their kind.  But, as Christians we go the extra mile and show kindness to the undeserving.  We are to love our enemies and be forgiving to those who show us no consideration.  This is one way we show the world that we’re different.  This will enable us to live successfully with difficult people.
9.      But, is this possible?  Can we be as perfect as our Father in heaven?  Can we really love our enemies?  We can love the unlovable and show kindness to the unkind only if we take to heart, “That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).  God reconciled a rebellious world to Himself through His beloved Son.  Countless times, Gold shows mercy to us who day after day sin much.  He’s always ready to forgive sin and blot out our transgressions.  If God does this for us, shouldn’t we also ask Him for grace to do likewise with our neighbors?  Remembering what God has done for us in Jesus helps us to go the extra mile.
10.  Then too, we must remember that our enemy was redeemed by the same Savior who has loved us.  As we look at people who repulse us, we must not forget that Christ loves them as well and gave His life for them also.  If Christ loved and redeemed them, have we a right to treat them with contempt and arrogance?  At the foot of the cross, we learn to love disagreeable people.  We make hard lives easier as we strive to live with difficult people, knowing they are also forgiven and forgiving children of God.  This is what it means to go the extra mile with Jesus.  Please pray with me, “Heavenly Father, You know how difficult it is for us to be kind, thoughtful, and forgiving to those who make life hard and bitter for us.  Only Your grace can create in us a forgiving spirit and teach us to overcome evil with good.  Draw us closer to You as You forgive sin and make us gracious and merciful in Christ Jesus, our Savior.  Amen.






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