Second Mile Religion

“And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain”

Jesus speaks of a man who has his coat taken from him at law; His advice is to let them have his cloke also. He mentions what one’s reaction should be to those who smite us upon the cheek; we are to turn to them the other. And in our text, He tells us, if we’re compelled to go a mile to go the second mile.

The first response in each of the above mentioned is duty, the second is grace. It is never your duty to go the second mile. If we do only our duty, we cease to be Christ-like. Most of us use the argument that we have run out of gas at the starting point of the second mile. But that is no excuse, for God has put in each of us a reserve tank that can carry us through the second mile.

There are those who say the Sermon on the Mount is Law. Are they saying that the Law has a higher standard than Grace? I find when I use such reasoning it is not because of the way I believe, but because of the way I live. It is recorded of Jesus that, “He went a little further.”

True, in some cases the saint has prayed all he can, given all he can, loved all he can, advised all he can, and forgiven all he can. What is one to do after coming to the end of the second mile marker, not knowing where to go from there? “Is there any word from the Lord?” I am happy to say there is. "Neither know we what to do: but our eyes [are] upon thee.” Whenever you don’t know what to do, “Stop, look, and listen!