In college, I took a course on Ancient Roman History. As a history major, I wanted to take classes that piqued my interest and could keep my attention. The first day was pretty basic, syllabus, structure, readings, etc . . . and I was a little nervous that my expectations were not going to be met. I arrived hopeful for the second class and as we all sat waiting since our professor was late, I thought maybe this was a sign to transfer classes. The door burst open! A Roman soldier comes running through yelling in Latin, “Exitus Acta Probat”. The class turned out to be better than I expected.
In the days of Matthew 5:41, a Roman soldier could command someone to carry their gear for a mile (1,000 paces). Jesus of course tells his followers, if they are asked, carry it two miles! It is easy for us to get frustrated at that thought, but instead of putting yourself in the sandals of the person being told to carry someone’s gear (which would have weighed around 100 pounds!) put yourself in the soldier’s shoes..
Most of the time you are forcing people to do something uncomfortable, you are making them serve you, you are having them do something somewhat demeaning. While it has become a practice for you and your fellow soldiers, you do this to show your authority and power over someone else. Imagine that for just a moment. Have you ever done that in some way in modern times? Maybe you make your kids do tasks to show your power as a parent, maybe it is your way of training someone, or maybe it is to hide your insecurities. Whatever the reason, how does that kind of action reflect the beatitudes, or reflect the love of Christ? Now imagine that person smiling, continuing to walk under the weight, doing a demeaning task, but with hope and joy.
I don’t like to put myself in that position, even if it’s an imaginary scenario. Taking a moment to reflect on both sides of the scenario that Jesus gives us, is an invitation to act differently or correct some of our actions if we need to. It allows us to step in with Jesus to restore humanity and dignity. It allows us to bring unity and peace to our community. So take some time to understand both perspectives and let Jesus speak to you through these verses.
Pastor Jeremy Johnson