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Response
Jesus taught in His great Sermon on the Mount that kingdom people live by a moral code that far exceeds mere formal adherence to the law. Christ’s disciples obey their King because they are committed and loyal to Him—the One who has conquered their whole hearts. True kingdom servants seek to follow God’s instruction to its deepest heart application. They don’t merely satisfy the bare minimum requirement. This principle prompted Jesus to say, “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” «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. », (Matthew 5:25, NKJV).
In context, Jesus is focused on the topics of hatred and anger: “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell” (Matthew 5:21-22;NLT).
“You shall not murder” was the letter of the law (Exodus 20:13;Deuteronomy 5:17). But Jesus dug down to the heart matter of the command, which was hatred. Members of God’s kingdom must do away with all hatred and anger (Leviticus 19:17;Ephesians
4:31; Colossians 3:8). Jesus presented the example of a believer needing to reconcile with another believer: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24; ESV).
Jesus emphasized that we should not allow quarrels and resentments to linger but make amends with our brothers and sisters in Christ as soon as we become aware of an issue. We cannot expect to please the Lord in worship while bitterness and anger are allowed to grow in our hearts. Proper, God-honoring worship involves promptly giving and receiving forgiveness and reconciling broken relationships (Mark 6:15; Mark 11:25).
The second example Jesus provided was of two feuding individuals about to appear before a judge in court to resolve a dispute. To “agree with your adversary quickly” means to “settle your differences promptly” (NLT). Jesus urged His followers to resolve issues directly, sooner rather than later, before resorting to court. The longer we delay coming to terms with an opponent, the more unfavorable the outcome will be for us.
The focus of Jesus’ sermon was to impart the principles of kingdom living. Christ came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it— to accomplish its purpose (Matthew 5:17-19). Jesus fulfilled the law and its requirements by providing His followers with a righteousness that “surpasses the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees” «For I say unto you, That unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.», (Matthew 5:20). Christ’s righteous fulfillment of the law, followed by His death on the cross, would enable His followers to enter the kingdom of heaven.
People of the kingdom strive to exhibit the same mercy and grace they receive from their King. Rejecting Christ’s righteousness leads to judgment and the risk of the fires of hell «but I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. », (Matthew 5:22).
As seekers of the kingdom, we must promptly reconcile with our opponent—letting go of pride and any self-righteous, pharisaic attitudes. We should be ready to yield, relinquish our rights, and resolve conflicts peacefully. Later in His sermon, Jesus advised, “If anyone sues you and takes your shirt, give them your coat as well” «And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. », (Matthew 5:40).
We may be legally right; we may have the legal advantage; we may be confident of winning in court, but God may be prompting us to drop our case for His kingdom’s sake. Jesus said that holding onto our life will result in losing it. However, surrendering it for His sake will lead to finding it «For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. », (Matthew 16:25). There is no gain if, in fighting for our rights, we lose our soul «For what good will it be for someone to”gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
