Go an extra mile ! (2)

Monday July 5, 2021

Go an extra mile ! (2)

“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself approached and walked with them.” Luke 24. 15

The command of Jesus : “If anyone forces you to go a kilometer, do two with him” (Matthew 5:41) perhaps has a second meaning, thus joining the episode of His meeting with the couple of disciples on the march towards Emmaus. Imagine the scene : it is the year 30 of our era, you are a fisherman mending a net on a quay in a harbor. A group of Roman soldiers pass by and one of them urges you to approach and take his “gear” on your shoulders. It's scorching hot, and you understand the soldiers want to humiliate you. But you remember the words of Jesus. You drop your net, approach the soldier and lift his “scarcina” (Latin for barda !) To put it on your back before taking the step behind the soldier. At the end of the prescribed distance, you continue without depositing the burden. The astonished soldier then asks you why you are behaving like this. A conversation ensues between him and you, while the other soldiers remain silent. You explain to him that you are a disciple of a certain Jesus and that the latter recently encouraged His friends to love their enemies, to serve them beyond their requirements. You are only walking in the footsteps of Jesus, He who was ready to approach and walk with others. Do you see the implication for us today ? Going another mile with someone who does not know Jesus gives us the opportunity to bear witness to our faith and hope. Our attitude will thus impact the lives of others more than our sermons and our advice, especially if we are willing to do well beyond what others consider reasonable.

Source (His Word for Today)