And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, and then some more…
How Many Miles to Go
Ah, I just LOVE my little subscription to the UCC Daily Devotional. It’s always
a special, sweet treat to start my day out and quite often, more often than not,
it sparks within me, the need to write one of little Blogs.
a special, sweet treat to start my day out and quite often, more often than not,
it sparks within me, the need to write one of little Blogs.
Today’s Devotional was entitled:
The Third Mile
Excerpt from Matthew 5: 38-42
” . . . Whoever forces [41] you to go one mile, go with him two…”
The UCC took the stance on this as that of the message of yes, be patient, allow
yourself to be walked all over, but God is not telling you that there is never a
cause for when you cannot defend yourself by following a path of trying to help
your “enemy” see the errors in their ways and explain what damage they are doing,
what actions they should stop doing, and what words they should stop saying. And
thus in turn, they also should stand up and teach their “enemy,” their “foe,” the
peaceful, the Holy way, all the while taking a beating now and then.
yourself to be walked all over, but God is not telling you that there is never a
cause for when you cannot defend yourself by following a path of trying to help
your “enemy” see the errors in their ways and explain what damage they are doing,
what actions they should stop doing, and what words they should stop saying. And
thus in turn, they also should stand up and teach their “enemy,” their “foe,” the
peaceful, the Holy way, all the while taking a beating now and then.
My message is a bit different from its message though. At first glance, it appears
that Jesus is saying to roll over, be cowards and let everyone walk all over you.
Show your throat to your “enemy” willingly and stand by like sheep being abused
instead of fighting back because Jesus and The Lord abhor violence and the Holier
route, the Godly path, is the path of peace.
that Jesus is saying to roll over, be cowards and let everyone walk all over you.
Show your throat to your “enemy” willingly and stand by like sheep being abused
instead of fighting back because Jesus and The Lord abhor violence and the Holier
route, the Godly path, is the path of peace.
The Ancient Assyrian Laws and the Babylonian Hammurabi were brutal laws by which
all the ancient peoples had lived by up until Jesus’ time, “an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth,” and in certain cases money could be paid as compensation. These
were well entrenched laws by which everyone had lived by for thousands of years.
These laws also spawned blood feuds and the need for ever increasing numbers of
organized policing, the creation of formal laws, and the creation of formal courts.
By the time Jesus was a boy and then grew to a man, the corruption within these
courts was prolific, and well-known. The manipulation of the laws by the wealthy
to control the poor ran rampant. The merchants and tax collectors had under-the-table
deals running, adding to the social corruption, and the working class, the poor,
were being so taken advantage of, so mistreated, so treated unfairly, that a core
aspect of this entire system was well overdue for a major change. Jesus was just
the man to bring on that change!
all the ancient peoples had lived by up until Jesus’ time, “an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth,” and in certain cases money could be paid as compensation. These
were well entrenched laws by which everyone had lived by for thousands of years.
These laws also spawned blood feuds and the need for ever increasing numbers of
organized policing, the creation of formal laws, and the creation of formal courts.
By the time Jesus was a boy and then grew to a man, the corruption within these
courts was prolific, and well-known. The manipulation of the laws by the wealthy
to control the poor ran rampant. The merchants and tax collectors had under-the-table
deals running, adding to the social corruption, and the working class, the poor,
were being so taken advantage of, so mistreated, so treated unfairly, that a core
aspect of this entire system was well overdue for a major change. Jesus was just
the man to bring on that change!
Jesus’ message is not to just take it. Jesus’ message is that if someone wrongs
you in some way, do not seek revenge. This one, simple act, right off the bat, totally
eliminates all of the blood feuds. This one, simple act, eliminates everyone from
suing each other in court just because someone accidentally harmed someone else,
as is often the case, which is also very often what starts a volley of suits back
and forth leading to multiple retaliations between two parties. With Jesus’ one
simple statement of turning your other cheek, he has taken all the power away from
the “enemy.” He doubly reinforces this in the following verse regarding the loaning
of cloaks and their return, even if it does mean that you have no blanket to sleep
on at night. They no longer matter. Only God matters at that point. Only your trust
in God matters at that point. Turn the other cheek is simply do not seek revenge
and do not hold grudges. In Romans 12:17, Paul reiterates this sentiment in, “Repay
no one evil for evil.” And in verse 41, Jesus is speaking of carrying the gear of
Roman soldiers under occupation, as the soldiers would force the Jews to carry their
gear for them. Jesus is not concerned with rebellions and warfare’s of men. What
is it for you to meddle in the affairs of the disputes of men when the kingdom of
righteousness waits ahead? Set aside your petty disputes.
you in some way, do not seek revenge. This one, simple act, right off the bat, totally
eliminates all of the blood feuds. This one, simple act, eliminates everyone from
suing each other in court just because someone accidentally harmed someone else,
as is often the case, which is also very often what starts a volley of suits back
and forth leading to multiple retaliations between two parties. With Jesus’ one
simple statement of turning your other cheek, he has taken all the power away from
the “enemy.” He doubly reinforces this in the following verse regarding the loaning
of cloaks and their return, even if it does mean that you have no blanket to sleep
on at night. They no longer matter. Only God matters at that point. Only your trust
in God matters at that point. Turn the other cheek is simply do not seek revenge
and do not hold grudges. In Romans 12:17, Paul reiterates this sentiment in, “Repay
no one evil for evil.” And in verse 41, Jesus is speaking of carrying the gear of
Roman soldiers under occupation, as the soldiers would force the Jews to carry their
gear for them. Jesus is not concerned with rebellions and warfare’s of men. What
is it for you to meddle in the affairs of the disputes of men when the kingdom of
righteousness waits ahead? Set aside your petty disputes.
Jesus is freeing people from the legal system. He is unchaining them from the legalistic
system necessitated by the Hammurabi brutality. Jesus not only came to free man
from the Jewish Law, be he also came to free man from his own self-imposed socially
entrenched legal system. Of course, Jesus came for a few other reasons as well,
but that’s off-topic for this discussion! LOL!!! Jesus is, in essence, giving mankind
a clean slate to start over with and he is laying down a “firmly flexible” simple
system with which for them to start.
system necessitated by the Hammurabi brutality. Jesus not only came to free man
from the Jewish Law, be he also came to free man from his own self-imposed socially
entrenched legal system. Of course, Jesus came for a few other reasons as well,
but that’s off-topic for this discussion! LOL!!! Jesus is, in essence, giving mankind
a clean slate to start over with and he is laying down a “firmly flexible” simple
system with which for them to start.
Just think of how much more simple life would be if no one begrudged anyone, if
no one demanded revenge, if no one demanded retribution, if everyone were kind to
everyone regardless of how they were treated, if everyone willingly helped everyone
regardless of who they were, and if you always spoke kind words to each other regardless
of what was said to you, and if everyone walked on that extra mile for each other…
no one demanded revenge, if no one demanded retribution, if everyone were kind to
everyone regardless of how they were treated, if everyone willingly helped everyone
regardless of who they were, and if you always spoke kind words to each other regardless
of what was said to you, and if everyone walked on that extra mile for each other…
Heavenly Father, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Most Forgiving, Most Loving,
Your Love Shines upon the Earth, Filling Everything and Everyone with Blessed Life
Your Holy Words are so Inspiring, Guiding, and Appreciated
Great Almighty Creator of All the Universes, it is You that I Worship, The One True
God
God
I ask Heavenly Father, that You Lead and Guide us as we Travel Through Life
I Pray Dear God for the Strength to Always be Ready, Willing, and Able to Walk that
Extra Mile
Extra Mile
For it is in The Name of The Almighty God I do Pray and Ask These Things,
Amen.
>ð|~@-@~|ð<
teddwebb 