Matthew 5.25-26 25 “Settle matters quickly with your
adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the
way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand
you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell
you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” – Jesus Christ
Talk it over. Negotiate. Have a cuppa coffee for crying
out loud; but do what is necessary to settle things. That’s what Jesus was
saying. I think the issue is not so much by the time it gets to this level,
lawsuits and such; but long before it comes to that. Settle things. Live a life
of settle. Don’t live a life of settling for less than you are and less that what
you have – but a life of I’m-not-gonna-let-things-get–to-this-point.
Because, sayeth He, the consequences of letting it go too
far is, “…you may be thrown into prison …you will not get out until you have
paid the last penny.” The rules may not apply but the consequences do. I think
this might be called a call to live a life of consideration and a life of being
quick to apologize if necessary. I think this might be a call to live
graciously and forgiving. I think this might be a call to live with thick skin
and take the world as Jesus did – not as I think it should be.
Several years ago we lived in a very small and poorly
planned subdivision. Our property was land-locked on all four sides: the neighbors
to the north, the neighbors to the south, the right of way on the west and the
interstate on the east. Great house, great view – crappy location. The neighbor
to the north was one of those kinds of people who thought the rest of us who
had moved in were intruders because we came to the subdivision after he did.
At the time it so happened we had teenagers in the home
and teenagers have friends and friends do stuff and well, when the neighbor
found cigarette butts on his property, well he went a little ballistic. He
marched up the stairs to the front door, interrupted our evening meal and
demanded I do something about the butts. (I wanted to butt him…just saying.) I
told him I didn’t put the cigarette butts there and was busy at the moment. And
closed the door. I might as well have butted him right in the head – the fight
was beginning to be on.
After dinner, I went down stairs and out to the battle
front and inspected the offending matter. (Did I mention there was also a
condom wrapper? Oops. Teenagers…) I walked over to the neighbor’s and found he
and his son in the garage fomenting (I’m sure) some sort of coordinated attack –
not excluding litigation (I’m sure) and I said, “Hey, (So and so) can I talk to
you privately?” We walked back to my property and I explained to him that I
wasn’t responsible for the butts or the wrapper but I was sorry and would clean it up and not let it happen again.
The heat dissipated magically and quickly, and he and I became very cordial to
one another ever since. Nary another incident ever happened after that I might
add…
Jesus said, “Settle matters (and do it quickly) lest they
blow up into your own version of WWIII. And you lose…” And I submit: Yes, Lord,
I will. And thank You for helping me to see this and giving me the wherewithal
to live it! Amen.
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