In Matthew 5:25 what does it mean to be in the way with our adversary?
Upvote:2
The meaning of Matthew 5:25 may be clearer if you consult a more recent translation:
Come to terms quickly while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. [NRSV]
Upvote:2
Matthew is talking here about the thoughts that lead one to commit a crime. For emphasis, he gives two examples that can better be understood by looking at verse 5:25 in the context of a longer passage, Matthew 5:21-28, which I will discuss in two parts.
Matthew 5:21-26: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgement.' But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
The Greek word used here for brother is gender neutral and does not necessarily imply siblings. Anger can inflame a situation and lead to killing, so Jesus says:
- Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement
- Whoever says to his brother, Raqa, ['empty'] will be answerable to the Sanhedrin
- Whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Instead, verse 5:25 says that if someone has anything against you, to be reconciled with him and reach a settlement before this goes to court. Otherwise, the judge may find against you and hand you over for imprisonment.
Matthew 5:27-28: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew then says that just as anger can lead to killing, so also lust can lead to adultery. He says that anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart.
So, in real life: hold your temper and avoid inflaming a situation, particularly if you may be in the wrong. Note that this is equally true whether your opponent is taking you to court or simply in dispute with you. In the second example, do not lust after a woman if this would result in adultery, because your very thoughts are adulterous.
More post
- 📝 Are the books known as the "Book of the Covenant" and the "Book of the Law" the same book or two separate books?
- 📝 Why is Judaism's ten commandments different from Catholicism's?
- 📝 A Question Regarding the Variation of Doctrines within Christendom
- 📝 Why does the Fifth Ode (Prayer of Isaiah) begin at verse 9 and end at verse 20?
- 📝 Orthodox churches recognized by Catholic Church
- 📝 Can an adult be Baptized if they are not Catholic
- 📝 Is there a name for the belief that some individuals would always freely reject salvation no matter the world in which they are created?
- 📝 What denominations subscribe to or accommodate the Annihiliationist doctrine of hell?
- 📝 2 Samuel 12, David's son, and justice
- 📝 In the Catholic Church, can archbishops excommunicate people?
- 📝 What did Aquinas do for recreation?
- 📝 Origin of the idea that "demons" and "fallen angels" are the same thing?
- 📝 What is God's throne like?
- 📝 Why appoint Matthias to replace Judas only to later appoint Paul as a thirteenth Apostle?
- 📝 How do non-trinitarians interpret Philippians 2:5-8?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for thinking that Jesus died for me specifically?
- 📝 LDS Church and Genealogy Research (What is the connection?)
- 📝 Why are Matthew, Mark, and Luke called 'synoptic' gospels?
- 📝 How does Absalom's death foreshadow Christ?
- 📝 How did the livestock of the Egyptians die twice?
- 📝 What is the Christological difference between the early Church fathers and the Arians?
- 📝 Why is the Textus Receptus important?
- 📝 What is the purpose of other planets and solar system according to the bible?
- 📝 Is there such a thing as a 'concordat' today in the Catholic church?
- 📝 Could Luke 3 be Joseph's genealogy?
- 📝 What authority can move the celebration days of Easter in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 How do Cessationists distinguish between miracles and spiritual gifts? What is the biblical basis for such discernment?
- 📝 Provincial Superior as member of religious house
- 📝 Difference between Christ and Messiah?
- 📝 LDS doctrine on "intelligences" having always existed vs God(s) whose "godship" had a beginning
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 In Matthew 5:25 what does it mean to be in the way with our adversary?
- 📝 What does being lukewarm mean in contrast with being hot or cold for the church of Laodicea?
- 📝 What does the Catholic Church mean when it calls humans co-creators with God?
- 📝 What does inherit the earth mean in Matthew 5:5
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law but did not abolish it?
- 📝 How does Matthew 25:31-46 ("The Sheep and the Goats") reconcile with salvation by faith?
- 📝 What exactly does it mean that Jesus Christ is the son of God?
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus was the "second Adam"?
- 📝 What does it mean to "Bless the LORD"?
- 📝 What does it mean to interpret the Bible literally?
- 📝 What does "gates of hell" mean in Matthew 16:18?
- 📝 What does it mean to comment on scripture with scripture?
- 📝 What does the abbreviation "RNIO" mean in a painting of the Virgin and Child?
- 📝 What does it mean to say "Jesus died for our sins"?
- 📝 What does it mean to be an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ?
- 📝 What does the Bible say about people with mental illness?
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus, Father, and Holy Spirit are of the same nature but different personas?
- 📝 What does it mean that John's Gospel does not have an account of the institution of the Eucharist?
- 📝 What does John Calvin mean to imply by the "suffrage" of the church?
- 📝 What does "communion of saints" mean in the Apostle's Creed?
- 📝 What does it mean for the Spirit to only speak of what he hears? (trinitarian perspective)
- 📝 From a Fundamentalist viewpoint, what does it mean to "take the Bible literally"?
- 📝 What is consumerism and what does the Pope see wrong with it?
- 📝 What does "Christ was born across the sea" mean in Julia Ward Howe's The Battle Hymn of the Republic?
- 📝 What does TS Eliot mean by "old dispensation" in The Journey of the Magi?
- 📝 What do Christians mean by "Jesus took our illnesses upon himself on the cross" and why?
- 📝 What does it mean to magnify or glorify the Lord?
- 📝 What is the significance of Matthew starting with the names of the ancestors of Jesus?
- 📝 What does R. C. Sproul mean by the 'essence' of God?
- 📝 What does Romans 13:13-14 mean by "behave decently, as in the daytime"?