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. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. (Matthew 5:25-26 KJV)
Albert Barnes’ Commentary
Verses 25,26. Agree with thine adversary quickly. This is still an illustration of the sixth commandment. To be in hostility, to go to law, to be litigious, is a violation always, on one side or the other, of the law requiring us to love our neighbour; and our Saviour regards it as a violation of the sixth commandment. While you are in the way with him, says he, that is, while you are going to the court, before the trial has taken place, it is your duty, if possible, to come to an agreement. It is wrong to carry the contention to a court of law. See 1 Co 6:6,7. The consequence of not being reconciled, he expresses in the language of courts. The adversary shall deliver thee to the judge, and he to the executioner, and he shall throw you into prison. He did not mean to say, that this would be literally the way with God; but that His dealings with those that harboured these feelings, and would not be reconciled with their brethren, were represented by the punishment inflicted by human tribunals. That is, he would hold all such as violators of the sixth commandment, and would punish them accordingly.
There is no propriety in the use sometimes made of this verse, in regarding God as the “adversary” of the sinner, and urging him to be reconciled to God while in the way to judgment. Nor does the phrase, “thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing,” refer to the eternity of future punishment. It is language taken from courts of justice, to illustrate the truth that God will punish men according to justice, for not being reconciled. It will be eternal, indeed, but this passage does not prove it.
Thine adversary. A man that is opposed to us in law. It here means a creditor; a man who has a just claim on us.
In the way with him. While you are going before the court. Before the trial comes on.
The officer. The executioner; or, as we should say, the sheriff.
The uttermost farthing. The last farthing. All that is due. The farthing was a small coin used in Judea, equal to two mites. It was equal to about seven mills of our money, [three halfpence.]
{u} “deliver thee” Pr 25:8; Lu 12:58,59
Thomas Scott’s Commentary
Verses 25-26: The rule of the preceding verses naturally introduced the case of those who were exposed to law-suits, as having injured their neighbor. In such circumstances, it would be a man’s prudence and duty quickly to compromise the matter with his legal opponent, though the terms might appear rigorous, and to settle the business ere it came before the magistrate; lest, being found culpable, he should be cast into prison for costs and damages, and continue there till the last farthing were paid.—But under this prudential counsel a far more important instruction is couched.
Our injurious conduct towards men, as well as our other sins, renders us liable to the wrath of God, who is our adversary at law. We are on the way to his judgment-seat; our time may be short; a way of reconciliation is revealed: we should avail ourselves of it immediately.
If this be neglected, the cause will come to trial, the sinner will be condemned by the judge, delivered to the executioners of vengeance, and cast into the prison of hell: and seeing that he can never make satisfaction to offended justice, or pay all his debt (especially as new crimes will continually enhance the score), so he cannot expect to be enlarged any more for ever.—‘Here it is insinuated, how much more it concerns us in time to repent of our offences, and to endeavor to be reconciled unto him, lest we be cast into the infernal prison.’— Whitby.