Go The Second Mile

There is a saying that has been stated in different ways, but basically says, “Yes, I’m a Christian, but I’m not radical about it.” In other words, “I blend in with the crowd.” Matthew 5:41 is found in the middle of a section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is calling His followers to a deeper, more radical  level of commitment. Jesus takes six commonly understood beliefs and turns them completely upside down with the words, “But I say to you.”

What does this look like practically? It looks like someone rising above the instinctive desire to “strike back,” “get even,” or “settle the score.” It looks like swallowing pride and abandoning self-interest. It looks like long-suffering and forgiveness. It looks like showing grace in the face of the unfair. It looks like Jesus.

Are we willing to commit our lives to God and to leap all boundaries to follow Him? Are we willing to take the extra step to go the second-mile?