Going The Extra Mile

It was Christmas morning, and he was dead. I had some questions.

In middle school and high school making fun of the handicap kid was the easy thing to do. Everyone else, it seems, was doing it, so why not go along with it? That’s the sad rationale of immaturity and ignorance. And the worst part is that I was guilty of it, too. Of course, I didn’t make fun of him to his face — that would be mean — I did it behind his back.

Last Kid Picked

Here was a kid who had cerebral palsy with buckled wrists and legs that were two different lengths. He had a speech impediment on top of the disease that had already made it difficult for him to talk. His writing was illegible and I don’t think his grades were all that great. He was the last kid picked at recess, the slowest one at the 50 yard dash in gym class, the one you didn’t pass the ball to on the soccer field, and the guy who never got a date.

But during all the years I spent with him in school, there were two things I cannot remember him ever doing: complaining or quitting. Not once. If anyone had a reason to make excuses for being last or for not trying, it was him.

Two Questions

For all the difficulties he faced and for all the effort he had made in spite of his personal challenges, I never learned a single thing from him until after he died in a car crash on Christmas morning in his senior year.

After learning about his death, I only had two questions: Why had I treated him the way that I had? Why didn’t I go the extra mile? In hindsight, I realize that the answer to these questions lies in the fact that I never went the first mile to begin with. Had I gone the first mile, I would have treated him well. Had I gone the second mile, I would have learned something.  You see, going the first mile is an obligation. Going the extra mile is an opportunity.

The Law

In the first century A.D., Israel was under Roman law. The Romans were an occupying force and consequently were hated by the Jews — kind of like the British in the American Colonies. There was one Roman law in particular, called the Law of Impressment, that seemed to be a point of contention for the Jews — contentious enough for Jesus to take note of it. The Law of Impressment meant that a Roman soldier could compel a Jew to perform labor or to carry his load (like his armor) for one mile. When that mile was up the Jew had fulfilled his legal obligation and could then go about his business.

Upside Down

When Jesus arrived on the scene the Jews were looking for a warrior-leader to start a revolution to free them from Roman tyranny. They wanted a William Wallace. But Jesus had a different purpose and His teaching turned human thinking on its head. During His famous Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5:41, Jesus referred to that particular Roman law when He said, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” This has become to be known as going the extra mile.

In Their Shoes

The fact that Jesus told everyone listening to go the extra mile was, I’m sure, exactly the opposite of what they wanted or expected to hear. They were probably hoping He would tell them to refuse to carry anything and to stand in defiance of the Roman law. At least that’s what I would have hoped to hear if I were in their shoes. But that’s not what He said. He said don’t go one mile, go two.

Interestingly, years later, after Jesus had been falsely accused, wrongfully convicted, and then horribly beaten, He was forced to carry His own cross outside the city to the place where He was to be crucified. Along the way He was not able to carry His cross, and a man named Simon was compelled by the Roman soldiers to carry Jesus’ cross for Him (Matthew 27:32). This is the exact same law and the exact same word (compel) that Jesus had spoken of in Matthew 5:41.

The Difference

Imagine a Roman soldier’s surprise when the Jew who was supposed to hate him, instead of dropping the soldier’s kit in the dirt and walking off at the end of the first mile, continued on and went an extra mile with him of his own free will. Imagine the impression that would have made.  As for me, instead of making excuses or rationalizing, had I just gone the first mile with my handicapped classmate I would have at least done what was required of me. But had I gone the extra mile, what kind of an impact could I have had on his life, however brief?

Our obligation to go the first mile with someone is the least we can do and is lawful and just. But the second mile, the extra mile, is where we make a difference.

Go The Extra Mile

Now imagine the surprise of the next person you come in contact with when you go the extra mile when they were expecting you to not even go the first. It could be a neighbor dispute, a lost wallet, or the next domestic disturbance you go to. It could be that you’ve been there countless times before, but it doesn’t matter, you go the first mile anyway. And if you’ve learned anything from this story, then you’ll go the extra mile, too. Jesus didn’t say it was going to be easy, or fun, or appreciated. He just said, Go.

The first mile is where we make an impression. The second mile is where we make a difference. Go the extra mile.

__________________________

– Do you let group-think govern your actions?
– Has someone gone the extra mile for you?
– How did that make you feel?
– What can you do today to be the kind of person who is known for going the extra mile?
__________________________

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