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Don t walk the extra mile slides for a talk on matthew 5
- 1. Don’t … “go the extra mile” A fresh look at Matthew 5: 41 Simon Nash Business Connect 28 Marc h 2012
- 2. The Roman Empire in NT times 2.5m square miles 88 million people 30 Legions 250 Auxiliary Regiments Network of military / commercial routes Rapid reaction – overwhelming brutality. Fear / terror General civility- Pax Romana
- 3. Roman Military Discipline Also - Bivouacing outside of the palisade, barley rations, summary execution. Fustuarium clubbed to death with cudgels Bastinado Castigatio beaten on soles of feet beaten with Centurion’s staff Pecuniaria multa Flagellumata flogging with barbed whip fines or deductions from pay Decimatio Gradus Delictio selection of 1/10 unit for punishment reduction in rank Missio Ignominiosa dishonourable discharge
- 4. Life under Occupation Angareia (ἀγγαρεια) means “forced servitude” E.g. Dig the trench around the camp, carry a battle pack to the next milestone… The occupying forces gave themselves the right to impress local civilians into works of labour. But the rights were strictly limited e.g. oxen already yoked in harness could not be used, no more than half the homes in a village could be billeted. These limits were enforced by Centurions and Legates – rebellions were costly! “Angareia is like death” Mark 15:21 ” A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, [], was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry …
- 5. Matthew 5:41 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, 41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles. (GNT 1966) 41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him two. (KJV 1611) 41 and whoever constraineth thee a thousand paces, go thou with him other twain. (Wycliffe Bible 1395) go with them two miles. (NIV 1984)
- 6. Matthew 5:38ff 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[Exodus 21:24] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. [Exodus 22:25-27] 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- 7. Question for discussion How did Jesus’ tactics “work” for his original audience , and what might we learn from them today?
Editor's Notes
- I have 7 minutes to cover one verse, Matthew 5:41I’m going to start with some history, much of which will be familiar to people who read the New Testament. I’m then going to look in detail at our verse.Finally we will think about what that verse, and others like it means for us in twenty-first century Jersey.The biggest fact of life for first century Jews was the Roman Occupation of Palestine, just as the biggest historical event was the Roman-Jewish War of 66-73 AD, in which over 1 million people were killed, another 100,000 enslaved, and the Second Temple, along with the whole of Jerusalem was destroyed. Jesus’ ministry took place between the Roman invasion of 63 BC and the war of 66 AD, in the reigns of Augustus (King of kings, lord of lords, bringer of peace, son of God) and Tiberius.
- The Romans controlled an Empire bigger than the world had ever seen before. At its peak just at the time the New Testament was being finalised, it covered 2.5 million square miles (from Hadrian’s Wall in the north to the head of the Nile in the south and from the Atlantic coast in the West to what we would now know as Iran in the East) and 88 million people.The Empire was controlled by about 30 Legions of 5,000 highly trained fighting men (150,000 in total), supplemented by about 250 Auxiliary Regiments (of non-Roman citizens serving away from home) amounting to another 125,000 men. The legions could march quickly to any trouble spots using the network of military roads, and their heavy (30 – 40kg) packs. The military roads were marked off with milestones, to help the commanders plan their journeys – and some of these are still around today.With such a small military force covering such a huge area, the Roman’s developed a twofold system of subjugation. (1) Overwhelming brutality in the case of any province or individual that stepped out of line, (2) relative peace and civility for provinces that did as they were told and paid their taxes (often commodity crops) to Rome.
- The Roman army therefore had strict regulations to avoid the unnecessary angering of the subjected peoples – wars and rebellions were costly to put down and would divert the flow of taxes!The commanding officer of the legion administered justice in serious cases, but it was left to Centurions to keep discipline in their own ranks. A typical measure was to apply a punishment across the whole of a 15 man squad for the infraction of one of their number. The important factor is that a single soldier would not know what the punishment would be for him or his squad!
- Practical ActivitySet up – 2 volunteers – everyone else divided into Soldiers and Civilians. Soldier picks on a civilian – “Oi you – carry this for me.”Stop action – gauge feelings – soldier, carrier, other soldiers, other peasants. What are your options under occupation – fight, flight, terrorism, misery…Heading close to milestoneStop action – Carrier “what are you going to do?”, Soldier – “remember - what is the punishment for abusing angareia?”Introduce Matt 5:41 “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” Stop action – check reactions …DiscussionJesus is showing the people under oppression a new way – it uses comedy, surprise, standing up against violence. It empowers the victim without de-humanising the oppressor. Are these static commands for all time, or illustrative suggestions for how to resist non-violently?What can we learn from them?Are we more like the oppressed civilians or the occupying Romans?How does the Holy Spirit empower us?
- Thoughts for reflectionWho are the “you” in Jesus’ teaching?What are their options and the consequences of these… What happens if they openly revolt? What happens if they resist through guerilla actions? What happens if they flee? What happens if they accept it as their lot?How does Jesus’ tactic empower them? What are the risks? How do they change the dynamic? Would it always “work”?Are we more like the oppressed civilians or the occupying Romans?