You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to understand the phrase, “go the second mile.” It’s made its way into the vernacular from Matthew 5:41, where Jesus said, “If someone compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” I’ve thought often about what that means.
One mile represents the basic duty. And really, when I was running, preparing for a marathon, also running 10Ks, the first mile is always the hardest. It’s the basic, getting started, getting into a rhythm, and that’s exactly true of the Christian life. There are just some things we know we need to do. That’s the first mile, and you cannot leap over it to get to the second mile.
So if the first mile represents basic duties of being a Christian, the second mile represents beyond the call of duty in terms of being a Christian. This is where you go beyond what is expected. Therefore, like is taught by Jesus, we are here not to see what little we can do, but how much we can do for the cause of Christ. Today, more than ever, we need second mile Christians. Let’s go beyond the call of duty for Christ’s sake.
