|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
GOING THE EXTRA-MILE…
Dear Friends, being an Ex-Oil Sector official myself, I would like to dwell on a ‘subject’,
which is bound to capture the attention of an average Indian vehicle owner, exposed day-in & day-out to
advertisements about the special branded fuels bearing exotic names such as
‘EXTRA-MILE’, ‘SPEED’, ‘POWER’ etc…
So, in these days of branded fuels, which all claim to give our vehicles the much-desired
“extra-mileage” so as to enable us to stretch our highly-strained budget just that bit more,
what significance does this term “extra-mile” hold for us Christians in the spiritual realm?
To start with, does Jesus talk about going the “extra-mile” for His sake? Well, He does.
Turn with me, if you will to Matt 5:41 “If the military demand that you carry their gear for a mile, carry it two.”
Firstly, the contextual meaning of the words of Jesus to his immediate Jewish audience….
(Note: By the time Jesus’ ministry began, the Jews had been under the Roman rule for nearly 90 years)
During the Roman rule in the I century A.D., the Roman soldiers were empowered by the Roman law
to even forcibly (if the situation so demanded) take the assistance of the ordinary citizens of the
conquered nations (under their domain) to carry their gear for what was then construed to be a mile,
which incidentally Biblical scholars claim was a distance actually measuring less than the present-day
metric mile.
Naturally, the citizens of that age resented in extending a helping hand to the soldiers of a foreign
country, which had subjugated them; firstly, for psychological reasons as helping these soldiers would
not go down well with their self-esteem & secondly for the ordinary citizens who were not simply
battle-scarred tough people - this was too much of a physical ask.
Even then Jesus wanted His followers to be different. Permit me to sidetrack a bit. All along, the thrust of
His ministry was on man getting spiritual independence from sin & not a political independence from any
earthly tyranny. Had he played to the gallery & gone along with the popular public patriotic sentiments,
which ran high especially on that Palm Sunday (a week before Easter in the Christian calendar) & issued a
call for arms against the Roman hegemony, he would have been an instant “larger than life” hero & not a hapless
victim of a wicked plot who had no supporters when paraded before Pontius Pilate (John 18:33-36).
Forget not having any supporters, the very Jews with a nose for history who were shouting “Hosannas” in hope Jesus would turn out to be one of their deliverers’ from foreign rule in the manner of an Ehud,
Gideon, Barak (refer the book of Judges chapters 3-8 ) on the palm Sunday being quite oblivious to
his main mission on earth (of dying for the sins of mankind) were now baying for his blood obviously disappointed
in Jesus not having whipped up the mob frenzy for a do or die battle against the Romans. Yes, in the process,
they joined hands with the envious religious leaders who wanted Jesus out of the way. Simply put, couldn’t Jesus
have spared himself the excruciating agony of the cross by simply getting carried away by the populist forces?
But his focused vision on his goals in conformity to the Father’s will, would not permit him from deviating one bit from his road to the cross… for our salvation.
Even in the death on the cross, there were no half-measures about His suffering. Ponder for a moment…
what about the 2 other thieves who were also crucified along with Jesus on that momentous day in the history of
Mankind? Were they also flogged before crucifixion? Did thorny crowns adorn their brow, also?NO!
Only the Son of God was drinking ‘FULLY’ from the cup of suffering, in order that God’s name be fully glorified.
Adam, the first man had failed God when surrounded by most pleasant of circumstances, whereas the
Second Adam was scoring victory for God, in the most adverse of circumstances!!!
It was as though in the great
cosmic battle between God & Satan, the Almighty had challenged the deceiver that the Second Adam by virtue
of his extra-ordinary levels of commitment to obedience would more than make-up for all the lapses of the first Adam,
who had fallen when he had everything going for him.
This very Jesus, who himself set the example of willingly going the ‘extra-mile’ in suffering, exhorted his followers
to go out of the way & help the Roman soldiers in carrying their gear for an extra-mile with a sole desire to
enhance “Christian testimony,” which revolves around glorifying God & attracting people to himself, much in the
manner a fully-lit house in a dark night would attract the attention of a lost stranger. Dear Friends,
look at the powerful effect such a selfless attitude of an ordinary Christian citizen would have on a Roman
soldier. For starters, the soldier in all likelihood would out of curiosity inquire about this citizen’s
extraordinary cooperative disposition, especially in the backdrop of several shirks he would have encountered
before. Wouldn’t this open the door for a Christian to “testify about his Lord & the way of salvation?”
So going extra-mile for the Lord does have several inherent benefits for the Kingdom.
Even today, we Christians have the privilege of going the “extra-mile” for him in several areas of our
spiritual life. Though it may not have anything literally to do with carrying the military equipment of
any soldiers, even today we can go that extra-mile in obedience to the Lord, at a time when our mind &
rational wills us to the contrary. Take the case of dealing with a constant offender, be it in family
circles or elsewhere. Jesus would always want us to go the extra-mile in giving this offender one more
chance with a hope of winning his soul. Are there not enough examples in this world of constantly
forgiving Christians winning souls for the Lord by virtue of their forgiving disposition?
Would that have been possible but for they going the “extra-mile” in this sphere of forgiveness?
Or for that matter, take the matter of generosity. How often the Lord’s spirit gently challenges to
stretch our financial resources to the limit when it comes to helping a friend in financial need.
Do we cheerfully go the extra-mile like that much commended poor widow giving “her all” to the temple
(Luke 21:1-4) or do we go about our Christian charity with a grudging heart?
The ‘extra-mile’ principle can be applied to matters of personal integrity also, besides several other areas’
of Christian life. (e.g.…helping Christian missionaries financially, taking a stand against corruption in
offices’…etc )
Looking at our amazing Leader who not only shows the way, who not only leads the way, but who also goes
the way Himself in every area of Christian living (how many times he went the “extra mile” to bring
succor to the needy) in conclusion, I would like to highlight one particular incident in his ministry
recorded in
Mark 6:30-44, which always touches my heart. It is again all about going the “extra-mile”
in the physical realm.
After a typically hectic day of preaching, teaching & healing, at a time when his disciples had come back
from a strenuous tour, he simply wanted to “down the curtains” that evening as can be discerned from his
instructions to his disciples “Let’s get away from the crowds awhile & rest,” but would the crowds permit
Him that luxury? Or to put it more forthrightly, would His loving heart permit Him that luxury, especially
when the needy people are clamoring to be near Him? So we see in verses 33 & 34, as the needy public thronged
Him, what did He do? Did he send a word through the disciples to the teeming crowds that He had closed the
shop for the day, drained as He was after a hectic day? NO! FAR FROM IT! The Bible says very pertinently
that out of a compassionate heart “He taught them many things, they needed to know” & then comes the climax…
Verses 35-44 talk about the mind-boggling miracle of feeding 5000 men with five loaves of bread & two fish.
Ponder for a moment at the origins of this awe-inspiring miracle. This oft-raved about miracle of feeding
so many with so few bread & fish was actually a culmination of a chain of events.
Would this miracle which we talk about in hushed tones now, actually have taken place that evening
“HAD NOT JESUS GONE THE EXTRA-MILE” in the first place, exhausted as He was at the end of the day?
The answer is obvious, isn’t it?
It was the willingness to go that extra-mile that weary evening, which paved the way for this awesome miracle!!!
Now look at the turn of events from the disciples’ perspective. Inspired by the example of their master,
exhausted as they were, they went too about the onerous task of serving food to the big multitude without an
iota of bitterness. In a way, this entire episode is the microcosm of the Church History, isn’t it?
His disciples throughout the ages are diligently in the process of completing the work
(reaching out to spiritually starved millions with the Living Bread), what their selfless Master had started.
What an inspiration this entire account provides for us all, who may be a bit hesitant in going the “extra-mile”
for the Lord in our daily walk with Him! Who knows? One small act of going the extra-mile may actually
trigger a chain reaction with we ending up doing something memorable of lasting value to the Lord.
I can almost see our Lord smiling at us & saying “My true disciples through the ages have been going the
extra-mile in their service to me in the same way I went the “extra mile” for my Father’s glory – wouldn’t
you do the same for me? “ Well, the choice as always is ours!!!
Yours in His service,
(Suresh Manoharan)
|
|
|
|
|
