The Extra Mile

I am sure you have heard the expression, "Go the extra mile." It is actually a biblical principle. It comes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount where he was teaching about how to successfully love an enemy. In Matthew 5:41 he says, "And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." To fully understand this you have to know a little bit about the context Jesus was living in. The Jewish people in the first century A.D. were under Roman occupation. The Romans were pretty lax on the people they governed, as long as they paid their taxes and did what they were told they were given a lot of freedom in how they managed their own affairs. One of the stipulations, though, was that a Roman soldier could consign any Jewish person to carry their armor for them up to one mile, no questions asked. Jesus used this common source of frustration and bitterness to make a point - go above and beyond for others, even your enemies. If we are t...