This was something that Roman troops had the right to do—force non-citizens to serve as pack animals—but they could only compel them to go one mile. 

In the TV episode, when they reach the mile marker, Jesus says that they’ll go one more, even though they’re not required to. 

At first, Jesus’s disciples are less than thrilled, but Jesus had just preached a sermon in which He said, “Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”

Apparently, the disciples didn’t realize He was speaking literally. 

Still…the Romans…they are the enemy!!! Why would Jesus want them going the extra mile for their enemies?

I wonder if Jesus was trying to teach His disciples that the Romans weren’t the real enemy at all.

In His sermon, right before He spoke about going the extra mile, Jesus also encouraged His followers to turn the other cheek if slapped in the face. And, if taken to court and sued for their coat, they should give their cloak as well. 

In conflict, it’s easy to point at whoever is on the other side and say, “That’s my enemy.” 

Under the old law, which said “Eye for an Eye,” that’s true. You figure out who your enemy is, and then you make him pay. Thus, you restore justice. The scales balance on both sides, and you can drop the conflict. 

But…we know that’s not always the way it really works. When you interact with people in that eye-for-an-eye manner, and you’re always returning every insult, every slight, and every injustice tit for tat, that usually doesn’t produce long lasting peace. It may stop someone from bullying you, but it may not remove the bad feelings that caused the conflict to erupt in the first place. The anger, bitterness, and resentment are still there, usually on both sides. 

Jesus offers us an alternative.

He says, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil…” (Matt. 5:38-39), and then He goes on to describe the crazy way He wants us to behave when we get slapped, sued, and coerced.

By following Jesus’s advice, you can let go of the anger you feel toward your “enemies.”

What if they aren’t your enemies at all?

In Alma 34, there is that famous passage of scripture where Amulek lists all of the things that we should pray for. He says to cry to God “against the power of your enemies.”

In the very next verse, he says, “Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.” 

Even though we may have adversaries in this life, those who oppose and antagonize us, it’s the devil who is the source of it all. He is the real enemy. 

Satan would love for us to target each other instead of him. He’s a coward, so he hides in the shadows. Just imagine that big, bad devil crouching behind a mere human, allowing the human to take the blame for what he’s doing behind the scenes. Oh, he’d hate for that truth to come to light, because then we’d see him for who he really is—and we’d see our family member, our co-worker, our brother and sister at church for who they really are, too. We’d see that they are children of God who are trying and failing, just like we are. We’d realize that they are our allies in this messy and confusing business called life. Satan would much rather keep us at each other’s throats. 

Now, what if, instead of baring our claws and striking back, we follow Jesus’s instructions and love our enemies? What if we bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which despitefully use us? 

What if, instead of praying against our enemies, we pray against the power of those enemies—the power that the devil wields in their hearts?

When we let go of the anger, bitterness, and resentment that are the natural byproducts of conflict with our fellow man, we can follow in Jesus’s footsteps, forgiving those who have wronged us, even as Jesus did in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

That would really get under the devil’s skin, wouldn’t it? And I’m hoping it would put a huge smile on Jesus’s face when He sees that we trust Him enough to follow His word. 

So, let’s see how we can go the extra mile to love our enemies today. 

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

Note: This article was inspired by a recent Sunday sermon preached in my branch.