Simon’s Service
Walking
the Extra Mile with America’s Warriors:-Copywrited by Rev. Edgar S. Welty,
Jr. 2014
I tried to get away but I was swept
up by the mob. The crowd surged when
Roman soldiers marched out the gate leading from the courtyard of their barracks
onto the street. They were leading a
man crowned with thorns, who had been flogged almost to death. He was carrying the crossbeam on which he
was to be crucified. To my horror, this
hapless prisoner fell down in front of me into the filth of the street.
Suddenly I
felt the flat of a spear point settle onto my shoulder. I looked around and up the shaft of the
spear into the disdainful face of a Roman soldier. He sneered and said,
“Hey slimy
‘Black Man’, Pick up that cross beam”.
The soldier shouted at me over the din of the crowd “This man’s half
dead we don’t want him to die before we can hang him on this cross. Get a move
on. We can’t wait all day.”
To those of
you who are reading these words image you are hearing Simon of Cyrene speak. …
As a Jew from a distant Roman
community, Simon had arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover at “The”
temple. Simon’s faith required him to
celebrate its great festival each year and at least once, in his life, in “The”
temple. His city of Cyrene, in Rome’s Libya was distant from Judea.
Simon had traveled this distance at
great effort and expense. His pilgrimage to “The” temple promised to be his
only chance to fulfill both a holy obligation and a lifelong dream.
Simon also knew the family
portion of Passover would start as that Friday’s daylight faded. He needed to
finish at the temple, walk back through crowded streets, through a small gate
in Jerusalem’s walls, then back across the fields to his relatives’ farm, all
before sundown.
Simon had found himself on the
street next to the Roman barracks. Suddenly Pilate’s soldiers had appeared
leading out a man to be crucified.
Another Simon, who had been renamed
Peter, remembered Jesus’ teaching about soldiers pressing men into service.
Peter had heard Jesus say, “And whoever presses you into service to go
one mile, go with him two.” This term of to press into service is the
same as in Simon’ (the cross carrier’s) required service
This teaching of Jesus is known as,
“Going the Extra or Second Mile”.
Compulsory service demanded by conquering armies had started with the
Persians, continued with the Greeks then the Romans.
In the first century, its most
common form involved the demand that residents carry the baggage of Roman
soldiers for one mile. Jesus asks his hearers not only to do this resented
task, the one mile, but also to carry the enemy warriors’ baggage for a second
or extra mile.
Christians are called by Jesus to
carry the burden of our enemies for an extra mile. (And I do not buy the idea
that this was merely a ploy to get enemy soldiers in trouble with their
commanders. This was, in my view, an
actual command of Jesus and should be understood as such.)
As Americans we are called by
common decency, to walk with our warriors in active service, and with our
veterans, for that extra mile.
But it is hard for most Americans
to even start walking that second mile. Many people, particularly politicians,
say they support the troops. But can we support the troops if we are
disconnected from them?
Today, in Afganistan, we are
involved in America’s longest war.
Our engagement in Iraqi was also drawn out. Yet only one
percent of Americans are involved in military service.
What kind of support is America
giving her troops? Sacrifice in the form of increased taxes? Of course not!
Politicians’ children sent into harm’s way? Very Few! Lip service? Yes!
Each year as America
celebrates Memorial Day, each of us, all of us, need to ask ourselves what kind
of support we and our fellow Americans give our troops. Each year, as we the
electorate go to the polls; we need to confront politicians, those, who would
serve us, the question of real support of our troops. Each time, civilians and
those who have never served, come into contact with a member of our armed
forces or a veteran, it is appropriate to say,
“Thank you for your service”.
Most Americans say they support our
troops. But is that true? Recently there has been an attempt to balance the
federal budget by: decreasing retirement for future military retirees, and by
increasing the co-pays at medical facilities for military related patients.
Many American politicians and their
supporters aren’t walking the first mile with our troops. The mile called for
by common decency. But for those who aren’t Christian: Why should they heed the
call of Jesus to walk an extra mile for troops with whom 99% of the public has
no direct connection?
First our life-style depends on the
world’s sea-lanes, which our navy keeps open. Form the time of our nation’s
founding, our army has fought to secure our freedom.
As we took our place among nations, our Marines were established
as a rapid strike force. As the cold war began, our Air Force separated from
our army, to guard our skies against Soviet missiles and fighters. In the
ongoing war on drugs, the Coast Guard has been key. And yes members of the
Coast Guard have been serving overseas in recent wars. Americans need to walk
at least a mile for the vital role the military plays in our lives.
And we must not forget veterans. I
am a veteran, a disabled veteran. I fell 36 feet off the cargo nets in basic
training. When I regained consciousness, I saw a drill sergeant and snapped to
attention. He ordered me to take the “At ease” position and sent me to Fort Dix’s hospital for evaluation.
Three hours later a medic found me
where I had been shoved into a side room and forgotten about. He jerked my
little finger into place, as he asked me what had happened.
Then he told me to walk down to X-ray to see if my back was
broken!
But my lifelong pain is nothing
compared to the service-people who get stuffed into a body-bag, shipped home in
a box, and lay beneath the sod in our national cemeteries or active duty troops
one of whom each day blows their brains out or jumps to their death, or
veterans who are three times as likely to kill themselves, as the general
population and twice as likely to be homeless.
For troops and veterans, yes, I believe we are
called on to walk a mile or two. As a veteran, I confess I ‘d sure like to be
thanked that way.
As a pastor, I started this
introduction with a reflection on scripture. I have related the story of Simon’
service. I have shown how it relates to Jesus’ teaching about the “Second or
Extra Mile”. I proclaim, as a Christian preacher that the God incarnate, Jesus
Christ, calls for us to walk the extra mile for enemy troops. I call for all
Americans to do the same for our troops.
