Matthew 5 - Go the second mile

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[f] 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."

What would compel someone to do the exact opposite of what is expected of you? Can you imagine even doing something like what Jesus is asking us to do? It seems outrageous don’t it? Well, its not outrageous, it’s Christ-like.

Jesus looks at what the past culture was, an eye for an eye  and a tooth for a tooth. Then He says to go beyond our vengeful nature and tap into our
loving nature. If we are truly in the realm of love, everything we do would be out of love. Love would be dripping from our very pores! We wouldn’t think to do someone else wrong or repay them spitefully for the wrong they did to us.

If you ever had a dog and missed and stepped on its tail, their natural instinct is to retaliate, turn around and bite you. I have never seen a dog that has had its tail stepped on that didn’t bark back or try to bite the person that did it.

Are we not above dogs? Isn't our intelligence higher of that of animals? Then why sometimes do we tap into an animalistic nature and refuse to follow our spiritual nature?

Our vengeful nature is to retaliate when someone hurts us or does us something wrong. “Tit for tat” I usually say. We keep score of what people do to us and we wait to get them back, if we do not act immediately. But when the love of Jesus fills our hearts, when we remember what people have done to us, the thought of getting revenge is fleeting or nonexistent. The love of Jesus compels us to go the extra mile. Do not act based on what we have been taught or conditioned to think, feeding the flesh, but act out of our Christ-like nature which says to turn the other check when someone slaps you on the other, let the person who is suing you for the tunic have the cloak as well, go another mile with the one who is asking you to go one mile with them.

These are not acts of the flesh. These are acts of humans who are Christ-filled, who understands that living Christ-like is the best way to feed our spirit. Doing what Jesus tells us to do is the best way to feed our spirit (our Christ-like nature) and not walk after the flesh (our carnal way of thinking).

I would like to compare us to the diamond that start off as coal and under pressure it because a precious diamond. Brothers and sisters, it’s not easy especially if we have been conditioned to think and act a certain way. However, I do not believe that Jesus is asking of us anything that we cannot do. Jesus believes that we can do it. He even goes further in believing that we too can strive for perfection just like our Heavenly Father - Matthew 5:48. Now if Jesus says it, it can be attained. No matter how many times you fall, get back up and keep on trucking. Keep doing what Jesus is calling us to do.

God loves you. Be blessed!

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