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. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Jesus. Matthew 5:25, 26. Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is Day 19 of 30 Days on the Mount of Blessing. Jesus. This time he’s not talking about reconciliation between friends, but between adversaries. Calling his followers to seek reconciliation and best-case outcomes, even in legal matters. Jesus is not dismissing lawsuits entirely, but is calling for common sense, to avoid more serious consequences. And I think, further, he’s encouraging believers to pursue a spirit of peace at every possible opportunity. We do not need to win every fight—sometimes there’s more at stake than losing our case. Just maybe the face of Jesus will be more beautifully illuminated by a self-abandoning effort to get along with others. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly righteous legal causes—but let’s not that to excuse our own failure to seek best-outcomes, at every opportunity.
