This tale is based off of Jesus' teaching on carrying a soldiers pack a second mile. The law stated that one had to carry the pack a mile if ordered but Jesus wanted his followers to go above and beyond the law. So they eagerly anticipated a chance to show kingdom values to Roman soldiers. Soon they began to build a relationship with the soldiers and even became known in that region for going the extra mile. They became so proud of how they followed this command of Jesus. One day when Jesus was passing by their community he spoke to his group of followers. He told them that he was impressed with their commitment but that he had another teaching to give to them since they misunderstood the first. He told them to carry a pack three miles.
This tale hits at how we handle scripture. Many Christians seek to gain the rules and regulations of Scripture so that they may follow them to the letter. In this way they can know what it takes to be faithful. But most of Scripture is not meant to be taken that way. It is more about the heart of the issue as opposed to the letter of the law. The danger is that this can get messy but if Scripture is lived out in community it shouldn't be impossible.
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