From the Book, Rules For Life: According To Jesus

26. Settle Disputes Quickly 

“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.”

Matthew 5:25-26

This command goes pretty well with what we saw in section 12. Only here He is saying to take care of it quickly. 

Look, if you made a mistake and someone demands retribution, it’s their right. And not only should you pay back more than what they’re demanding (see section 12), you should do it as quickly as possible. After all, the longer a situation has to simmer, the hotter it will get. 

This command is not only for disputes between the brethren (actually Jesus wouldn’t want any such disputes — we’ll look into this in the next section), but it is between believers and non-believers. Therefore, it is more imperative that we act quickly to make something right. Otherwise, it will reflect poorly upon our Lord, and that is not something that I would want on my head. 

This is a way of making peace with others. And Jesus has called us to be peacemakers. 

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

Matthew 5:9

I can’t speak for you, but I want to be called a child of God. 

Honestly, I’ve never been taken to court, personally, so I don’t know too much about it. I do think that I’ve done things that would make me susceptible to it, but I’ve always managed to settle things before they got to that point. 

And isn’t that the point here? Settle out of court, “When you are on the way to court”. If you are being belligerent and wishing for a fight in court, you must take care, because such an attitude is not Christ-like. You could be setting yourself up for a fall. 

Notice, though, that it’s about you being taken to court; not the other way around. You can still use the court system, if you feel you must, to get retribution from someone else. Of course, in that situation it’s important to be merciful, as God is merciful, and treat others the way that you want to be treated. Forgiveness is a command as well (section 6). 

So Jesus is giving us this command so that we don’t have bigger problems and so that our actions don’t reflect badly on Him. 

After all, you can probably do a lot more for the Kingdom outside of the Big House (prison) than inside of it. But if you feel led to work in a prison ministry, they’re out there. Just don’t go into prison without being able to come back out when you are ready. Settle disputes quickly—Jesus commands it. 

Previous – Do Not Exalt Yourself | Next – Settle Disputes Between Believers

Sections in this study:
Introduction
1: Repent
2: Be Born Again
3: Place God First
4: Love and Serve One Another
5: Live By Faith
6: Forgive Others
7: Remain in Jesus
8: Live Righteously Before Men
9: Avoid Bad Influences
10: Stay On The Narrow Path
11: Do Not Return Evil With Evil
12: Give More Than Is Demanded
13: Love Your Enemies
14: Check Your Motives
15: Pray Simply
16: Do Not Worry
17: Store Up Treasures In Heaven
18: Do Not Be Judgmental
19: Guard what is Sacred
20: Care For Those In Distress
21: Do Not Swear Oaths
22: Watch out for false prophets
23: Exercise Spiritual Power
24: Have Childlike Faith
25: Do Not Exalt Yourself
26: Settle Disputes Quickly
27: Settle Disputes Between Believers
28: Do not Oppose Brethren
29: Remember Me
30: Be Merciful
31: Make Disciples
32: Be Ready
33: Obey Jesus’ Commands
Closing Comments