Matthew 5:25

Saturday, 30 November 2024

Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Matthew 5:25

“You be quickly well-minded to your opponent, while which you are on the way with him. Lest ever the opponent, he may deliver you to the judge, and the judge should deliver you to the assistant, and into the prison, you will be cast” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told His hearers that they should leave their gifts before the altar and go to be reconciled to their brother. Only after that should the person offering come and offer his gift. Now, He brings in a parallel thought from society to show how this precept is something that is understood even in everyday experience. He begins with, “You be quickly well-minded to your opponent.”

Here is a word found only once in the New Testament, eunoeó. It comes from two words signifying “good” and “consider,” “comprehend,” or something similar. Thus, it gives the sense of being well-minded or finding reconciliation. Here, Jesus is making a comparison to the previous thought:

First, you reconcile to your brother.

You be quickly well-minded to your opponent.

Just as it is on earth towards one’s opponent, so should it be towards God who watches over the state of enmity that exists between brothers. With that, He continues with, “while which you are on the way with him.”

These words correspond to the thought, “you leave, there, your gift before the altar, and you depart.” Both are in the process of doing something. The person in society is on his way somewhere while the one coming to the altar is on his way to presenting his gift. Again, Jesus is giving a real-life example of how things are so that the precept just stated is understandable to His audience. From there, He next says, “Lest ever the opponent, he may deliver you to the judge.”

In this case, the opponent is being equated to the brother who has something against the offeror of the gift at the altar. He may appeal to the Lord (being equated to the Judge in Jesus’ example) in his heart, prayers, or tears. Such a precept is found several times in the law, such as –

“If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.” Exodus 22:26, 27

When the Judge hears the complaint and agrees with it on behalf of the offended brother, Jesus next says, “and the judge should deliver you to the assistant.”

Here is another interesting new word, hupéretés. It comes from two words signifying “under” and “to row.” Thus, it is an under-rower, meaning a crewman on a boat. This term became synonymous with a subordinate who executes orders by those appointed over him. The word will be found twenty times in the New Testament, and it is variously translated as an officer, assistant, attendant, servant, or even minister.

The judge, ruling against the offender, hands him over to his underling to execute the judgment he rendered. In this case, Jesus says, “and into the prison, you will be cast.”

The point here is that Jesus is equating the life of the man with a seared conscience to someone who lives his spiritual life in this manner. Unless he changes direction and considers his ways, he is bound to be cast out of the Lord’s presence and into hell, just as the offender before the judge is cast into prison, away from those who live properly in society.

Life application: One can see the difference between those under the law and those in Christ. Under law, the possibility of condemnation exists for such a person who turns from what is proper and fails to heed what the law demands. However, Paul says this of the believer’s state in Christ (those in the Spirit) as opposed to those under law (those in the flesh) –

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:1-8

The point of Jesus’ words is that unless grace is extended to the offended brother, grace will not be extended to the one who offended him. In Christ, grace is extended to the offender before he does anything. All God expects of His people is to believe the message of reconciliation that is offered through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Once that is accomplished, the person is sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14) and is granted new life. He enters the New Covenant and becomes a part of what God has offered for the salvation of the human soul. The law was a necessary step to understanding this. In seeing how life under the law is, one who is wise will then be impelled to seek out the grace that is poured out in the law’s fulfillment, meaning the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, we come before You grateful for what You have done in Christ. You have made the first move, offering us salvation without us doing anything except believing that Jesus’ work is sufficient to reconcile us to You. And we do believe! Thank You for Jesus who alone has done such great things. Hallelujah for Jesus! Amen.