Going to the Extreme
40. And if anyone sues you at the law, and takes away your shirt, let him have your coat also.
41. And whoever compels you to go a mile, go with him two.
42. Give to him that asks you, and do not turn away the one that would borrow from you.
43. You have heard it said, “You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.”
44. But I say to you, “Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those that despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
45. That you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:40-45
What’s in It for Me Philosophy
We have probably watched game shows where contestants are challenged to do something that they would not ordinarily just to win a prize. The motivation is financial gain. So often the contestant is more interested in winning the prize money than their own safety. Humiliation and injury, to many of them, is of little importance as long as there is a guaranteed reward.
Our culture thrives on the “what’s in it for me philosophy.” Money, prestige, and pleasure become the motivation to take risks. For many, there are no boundaries, there are no limits that they would not go to have material gain.
Patrick Morley, in his book Man in the Mirror, points to cultural Christianity as nothing more than ‘pursuing the God we want rather than the God who is.’ As long as God hears the requests, grants the blessing, and keeps them happy, the cultural Christian is obliged to trust God. That is the religious side of what is in it for me. On the natural side or humanistic approach, the risk takers depend on their own ability to get the bounty of life, while the cultural Christian seeks to manipulate the Power of God to their advantage. After all, isn’t that the way it is supposed to work? We pray – God answers. We need – God gives. We read the Bible (or do some other religious act) and God should grant our every request. It is supposed to work that way, right? Regardless of how you classify it, that is simply the same “me want – me get” mentality. God has called the believer to a higher standard and a life of faith. By the way, the object of faith is not to get things but to find God in every life situation. Faith is not some magical key we wave over the problems of life and they magically disappear or whereby treasures are created supernaturally. That is not faith. Faith has the primary goal of pleasing God.
The Extreme Invitation
So here is the challenge. Would you be a Christian if it meant unpleasant and even unfair demands placed on you? Would you still believe and trust God when others are ‘getting over’ on you? Listen to this challenge Jesus gives to His followers. You have heard it said, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” … but I say to you, do not resist evil: but if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:38-39. If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit that we have problems with this demand that Jesus is making. My personal approach was to offer a counter challenge to Jesus’ challenge. Okay Lord, so I will not knock out a person’s tooth if they knock out mine. I’ll let it go. Isn’t that good enough? Jesus says, “No – I want you to not resist evil.” My compromise was to avoid evil. My solution was coexistence without contact. That is not what Jesus was talking about. Jesus is challenging us with the extreme treatment of our enemy. He says, “turn the other cheek” versus “turn and walk away.” That is impossible to do. Only God can do that. That is precisely the point. We (you and I) are guilty of trying to be good Christians instead of relying on the Power of God to make us Christians.
The ONLY way Christians can live the extreme life is by the Power of God. Throughout the Bible, people who have done extreme things have done so under what is known as “the anointing.” Sampson defeating the armies of the Philistines was only possible by the Power of God. Sampson went to the extreme. David standing before the giant was a feat that called on the Power of God. Moses at the Red Sea was a challenge that required the Power of God. Why is it, in this generation, that we think being a true Christian, does not require the Power of God. Through Christ, we can go to the extreme and demonstrate our faith in an evil world.
Jesus not only directed believers to go to the extreme, He also gave them the motivation to do so. That you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Just to be clear, the goal is to be the Children of the Father. The goal is not to get revenge on the enemy. The goal is to exemplify the character and nature of God, not to prove I can defend myself. The goal is to give like God and not to take like the world. The goal is to show that we believe in God and to express the character of God. That is the goal. It is only when believers go to the extreme that they achieve this Christ-like goal.
So, are you willing to go to the extreme? Let us put these extreme requests into context. To do that Jesus used a couple of examples. These are examples and will apply to the broader application. The first example is when someone sues you. If they demand your shirt, give them your coat also. Say what? Here we need to rely on intent rather than content. If it is the intent of the person to take something that does not belong to them then just let them have it? Let us look at what Jesus is not saying. He is not saying let your enemy have everything you own. He did not say that. The intent involves showing others that you do not hate them. The intent is to show that we are not going to engage in lengthy fights over shirts. Let them have the shirt and the coat. Do not escalate problems by trying to prove you are right and they are wrong. Give them the shirt and the coat also. Is there a Biblical example of that? Yes, there is. In Genesis, Chapter 26, Isaac dug wells that had been previously founded by his father Abraham. It turned out that each time Isaac and his team re-dug the well, the Philistines disputed them over the rights to the well. Rather than prove his point, Isaac just dug another well, as God would direct him. Isaac and his servants finally dug a well that they did not have to fight for the rights and they called it Rehoboth; this meant now the Lord has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land. Genesis 26:22. Here is the point. If we are driven by retribution and pay back, the outcome is that we will knock each other’s teeth out and gouge out each other’s eyes. That approach does not represent Jesus’ Kingdom. His Kingdom is one of peace and righteousness. You can spend your life fighting for what you think belongs to you or keep moving toward the goal of receiving God’s fulness.
The first challenge was disputes over assets. Another challenge the believer faces is the challenge of insults. When people say things to you and insult you, how should you respond? Jesus said, “I say to you, do not resist evil: but if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Again, the intent is important. Please understand that we must protect our family and our bodies from physical threats. Let us be clear, we are not talking about permitting physical abuse, but rather insults that will come our way. When that happens, turn the other cheek. If we are to go to the extreme, we must be willing to continue to show the love of Christ. So where do we find a Scripture to support this? It is found in Acts 5:41. The Apostles were arrested for preaching Christ in the Temple and the religious leaders had them beaten because of their faith. Rather than take the abuse as an insult on their character, the Apostles considered it a joy and a privilege to suffer for the Name of Jesus Christ. If we allow insults to interfere with our service to the Lord, then we become fair weather Christians and serve only when things are good. Dedicated Christians serve the Lord with gladness all the time. You must be willing to go to the extreme.
The third challenge is endurance. Will we serve God as long as things go well or will we go to the extreme? And whoever compels you to go a mile, go with him two. Under the Roman occupation in the Time of Christ, any soldier could demand that a bystander carry their load for one mile. Jesus said, whoever compels you to go a mile, go two. Not only am I to take their load one mile, but I must go two miles. What in the world? Here is where the extreme really applies. People will place their burdens on you and assume that you it is your duty to carry them. This seems both selfish of them and excessive to us. Here is where God enables you to carry that burden. First, God never puts more on you than you can bear. His Spirit enables you to carry burdens and witness to others. At the end of two miles, the unsaved will gladly part ways with you rather than hear you preach.
The news report in April 2014, documented a kidnapping of a child in Atlanta. The child however, had been raised in the Church. Rather than cry and panic, this child started singing praises to God and the would-be thieves left the child because they could not take the praise. Those would-be kidnappers were no match for a child who went to the extreme with his worship. That’s why Jesus wants us to go the extra mile as a testimony.
The second factor in going the extreme second mile is that we remember how God has worked in our life. So often we do things out of convenience and our service is oriented around what is easy and what causes minimal stress. But there are occasions, when we reflect on what God has done for us. We reflect on how Jesus went all the way to Calvary in carrying the burden of our sin. When we pause to reflect on the favor and kindness of God toward us, we gladly go to the extreme of helping others. When we remember God’s Grace then we remember to show grace to others. Jesus said,
“That you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” We can show it because we know it. When we think about the goodness of the Lord and all He has done – we cry out Hallelujah, thank God for His Salvation.
There is a third factor involving the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We will cover this next time in Going to the Extreme. God pushes us into situations that involves us being poured out for God’s glory. This involves God brining out what He first placed in us. Many Christians boast of being filled up but complain when they are poured out. God wants to pour out to the world, and we become that vessel that God uses. Don’t miss your opportunity to get pushed by God.
God bless you until next time.