Loading... Matthew 5:25 - AGREE WITH THINE ADVERSARY QUICKLY
Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Every man seems right in his own eyes until his neighbor comes and examines him. How many times have you met a person who told you some sob story that sounded so terrible but when you heard the other side of the story, you realize that the first person did do some things that justified the trouble that he was in? It is easy to fight and pursue justice and fairness for your particular situation, but you must remember that there are always two sides to every coin.
In this passage, Christ is commanding us that we have a duty to quickly make peace when we are at odds with one another. We may think that we are the most innocent person in the world, but when the judge hears the other person’s story, you have no idea what the judge is going to do. Remember Joseph, he was innocent of all charges of wrong doing; nonetheless, the judge (Potiphar) chose to believe his wife rather than Joseph. Joseph found himself unjustly in prison.
You do not know what is in store for you if you determine that you are going to pursue a matter all the way to court. Christ is commanding us to be peacemakers and try to resolve our disputes with those around us before it is out of our hands what the resolution will be. Sometimes it may be impossible to avoid not going to court because the other side insists on having a pound of flesh. If that were to happen, you need to understand that God is greater than your problems and that you at least attempted to obey God by reaching out and settling the matter.
You probably remember some time when you were a kid where your sibling was mad at you and tried to get you in trouble. They made up some kind of story and no matter how you tried to refute it, they insisted that it was true and you ended up being punished for something that you did not do. You must remember that the children of the devil are no different. They are willing to lie, cheat, and steal if it means that they get what they want.
Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught us that blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. It is hard being a peacemaker because it often requires that you give up certain rights that you feel you are entitled to. Nonetheless, if you are busy fighting with another, regardless of whether or not they are a Christian, how can you expect to be free to follow the path that God has for you. When you are tied up in a fight, you will quickly find that you do not have the energy to love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
It takes great self-control to abstain from a fight for your rights. Nonetheless, Christ commands us to agree with our adversaries quickly and that we are to be peacemakers. Do not fight against God but understand that God has allowed you to face this particular trial. Adding temperance to your life and forcing yourself to be the peacemaker rather than do what you want and fight for your rights will open doors in your life that you never imagined.
Fighting will always seem like the right thing to do but it will almost always focus your attention away from the things that God would have you to do. It is easy to hold grudges and be focused upon your rights but you need to be the peacemaker and you need to do what it takes to keep your conscience clear with both God and men.