Season 3 Podcast 54 Take My Yoke Upon You and Learn of Me
Take my Yoke upon You and Learn of Me
The road to freedom is generally rockier than the road to prison. It is often the opposite of what we expect. For example, in an adversarial confrontation we want to attack, to secure the high ground, and to lord it over our enemy. The Savior seldom tells us what we want to hear.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:38-44)
We often seek revenge, but the Savior teaches reconciliation:
“25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” (Matthew 5:25)
I suppose the above could be interpreted in a number of ways. For our purposes let’s examine how it contributes to our freedom. Notice that it begins with a personal and private confrontation. Two people are on opposite sides of the issue. Let’s assume that you have been wronged and in anger you confront your adversary. However, in your anger, no matter how justified, you violate a manmade law, and your adversary takes you to the judge. The judge delivers you to the officer and the officer locks you in prison. Justice is not the real issue. The law is the real issue. Your adversary, because he has better lawyers, uses the law against you. We see it every day. The villain goes free, and the victim pays the penalty. You pay “the uttermost farthing.”
That is exactly the position the Jews found themselves in under Roman law. A Roman citizen had advantages that were denied the Jews. The law favored the Romans. Those who heard The Sermon on the Mount would have understood perfectly the Savior’s words: “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” Under Roman law, a Roman soldier could compel a Jew to carry his backpack for a mile. Imagine how difficult it would be to obey the Savior’s words and carry it two miles. The Jews were virtual slaves to the Romans and how they must have hated being compelled to work like a slave. Why did the Savior say, “Go with him two miles”? The second mile was of their own freewill. There is a kind of freedom in that, and one can imagine the effect it had on descent Roman soldiers who would have gained greater respect for those whom they had conquered.
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