The Redemptive Power of Love

 "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." (Matthew 5:40-41)
The English word "compel" is translated from the Greek word "Angareuo."
I found this definition at this site.
 "The Greek word “angareuo” is a verb that describes being compelled to perform some type of service.  Unlike other words which are found throughout the New Testament, this term is found only three times (Mt. 5:41; 27:32; Mk. 15:21).  The reference in Mt. 5:41 involves Jesus’ statement that people might have been “compelled” to go a “mile” and if this happened people should go “two” miles.  Some think of this as “passive submission,” but the better explanation is “active goodness.”  The other remaining two references describe how Simon was “compelled” to bear Jesus’ cross.  Moulton and Milligan suggest this word is “probably the Iranian cognate of angelos.”
In the first line the word "coat" means tunic, the "shirt" most men wore but cloak refers to their jacket which was much more valuable because they used it as a blanket when sleeping so to turn this into a modern context it would be like Jesus saying "If someone takes your bike give them your car as well."
Jesus mentions that if someone forces you to go one mile and that we should go two.  This is key because Jews living under Roman occupation were often pressed into service to carry the Roman soldiers gear.  This practice was routine during Jesus' life.
Jesus is saying when confronted with injustice we should have compassion.  When someone takes your bike you should give them your car too. 
Let's say, for the examples sake, an ex-con finds himself on the doorstep of a church and the Bishop not only let's him stay the night but feeds him as well.
In the morning the Bishop and Nuns wake up to find the ex-con gone and their silver valuables missing.  But when the cops bring the man back saying "We found him with all these valuables and he told us you gave them to him, is that true?"
And what would it mean if the Bishop said "Yes, but you must've forgot these."  And the Bishop produces two weighty silver candle stick holders?
This example comes out of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. The song "The Bishop" in the musical based on the book goes like this:
"Monsignor, we have your silver
We caught this man red-handed
He had the nerve to say you gave him this
That is right.
But my friend you left so early
Surely something slipped your mind
You forgot I gave these also;
Would you leave the best behind?
Monsieur, release him
This man has spoken true.
I commend you for your duty
And God's blessing go with you.
But remember this, my brother,
See in this some high plan.
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man.
By the witness of the martyrs,
By the passion and the blood,
God has raised you out of darkness:
I have bought your soul for God."
The backstory is that Jean Valjean the, ex-con, was initially imprisoned for stealing bread during a depression for his sister's ill child.  He serves 19 years because of repeated escape attempts.  When he is finally released he is given what was called a yellow passport identifying him as a convict and thus ostracizing him from any community he finds himself in.
Because of this he jumps parole and changes his identity.  Becoming, amongst other aliases, Monsieur Madeleine or if you're familiar with the musical he is referred to as Monsieur le maire which means Mr.Mayor.
During his imprisonment for essentially a petty crime and the treatment he suffers like the conditions of his parole, Jean Valjean becomes more than bitter toward society at large and everyone else in general.  He sees no reason to do right when he must suffer the life of an ex-con.  Infinite punishment for a temporary and petty crime.

But when the Bishop showers him with kindness and compassion, infinite and limitless loving grace Jean Valjean is shaken to his core; he is told the only way to repay his debt to the Bishop is to right himself and become an honest man.
Having been truly touched, and shown true love and compassion for possibly the first time in his life Valjean does become and honest man.
His foreman fires a woman at his factory, Fantine who has a child named Cozette.  When Valjean learns of her plight as a destitue prostitute he tries to correct the mistake he made, but Fantine dies and so Valjean takes in Cozette as his own child.
But during Cozette's entire life Valjean is hunted by a police inspector name Javert.  Javert is esteemed by society due to his position in life as an inspector.  Javert thinks that all criminals like Valjean deserve no forgiveness so when Valjean has the chance to kill Javert and instead goes out of his way, actually risking his life to save the man who has hunted him for years.  Javert's grudge against Valjean cannot process or cope with such forgiveness and compassion.  And Javert ultimately throws himself into a river.
The love the Bishop showed to Valjean transforms him into a good man who became father to an orphan.  Valjean repeatedly does the Christian thing throughout the story, whether or not he benefits from doing so and regardless of the risk to his freedom or his life.
There is a set of examples to use here; the sheep are symbolic of the good amongst us and the goats are symbolic of the bad amongst us in these examples:
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."


 The Bishop Valjean meets shows him the unconditional love that these verses of scripture speak of and that love not only redeems Valjean it saves the life of Cozette and Javert.  It is the butterfly effect of love, the redemptive power of love transforming a sinner into a saint.
"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:45)
God's love is given to all, God's forgiveness is given to all.  "All are alike unto God."
Valjean's good deeds are not intended to buy his salvation, they are the result of it, of his transformation from sinner to saint. What we can learn from this is that God's love can save us, but we have to put forth the effort to make the changes in our lives and to show the same compassion as we are shown.
Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that said Dr.King.  Love without conditions or limits can redeem and transform anyone, you are never so far lost that you can't be found.  When you allow God's love to fill you it spills over to others as well.  When one is transformed others will be also.  Sinners will fall like dominoes and rise as saints building up the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven.