- These verses seem out of place. Why would Jesus end what He was saying here with talk about going to court? It doesn’t really seem to have much to do with the points He’s just made.
- When that happens (and it happens at multiple places in the gospels), the temptation is to either presume that the writer made a mistake or to just skip past it and keep going. In fact, that’s usually a good place to camp out and ask the difficult questions. Often, there are particularly rewarding insights there for the person who is willing to dig a little.
- It actually fits perfectly with the earlier points. It echoes ideas that Jesus started the sermon with, providing a nice coda. To see that, though, we need to unpack a couple things.
THE STRAIGHTFORWARD POINT: When you’re heading before a judge, reconcile if you can because your case may not be as strong as you think.
- Matthew 5:21-26; Luke 12:58-59.
- In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus talks about personal relationships. First, He tells people to watch out in letting their anger get the best of them. Second, He tells them that they should leave their gift at the altar if they remember that someone has something against them. Finally, He shares the same truth we see in Luke 12 – settle matters quickly with your adversary on the way to court or you might not get out until you have paid the last penny. In that context, it’s clearly a straightforward point: settle matters quickly on your way to court.
- This needs to be said because our tendency is to overestimate the righteousness of our case. We presume that all the evidence in our favor is weighty and everything that throws shade on us is easily dismissed. Karen sees this all the time in her job in magistrate court. People come in every day acting as though they’ve done nothing wrong when the evidence is heavily stacked against them. People are shocked and offended when the magistrate rules against them. Why? In part because it’s difficult to remove your self-interest from the case, dispassionately examine the evidence, and accurately assess your situation. We all like to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.
- This is not something that we’re particularly good at obeying.
- As we move our attention back to Luke 12, we find Jesus saying pretty much the same words as Matthew 5, but the context is different. In Matthew 5, the context is interpersonal relationships; in Luke 12, the context is Final Judgment.
- This is key to understanding it correctly. It’s also key to finding that the statement fits perfectly with the rest of the chapter and makes a fitting conclusion.
A STARTLING QUESTION: Is Jesus the adversary?
- Luke 12:58.
- This is challenging to see, so let’s set the table by going back through Luke 12.
- We read in verses 2-3 that everything we do will be public at judgment. We read in verses 4-5 that God is the one to fear because He can send us to hell. We read in verses 8-9 that disowning God before people leads to God disowning us at Final Judgment. We read in verses 13-21 about being rich toward God when our soul meets God. We read in verses 35-48 about living ready to meet Jesus at any moment. We read in verses 54-56 about reading the signs of the times. The chapter is repeatedly and clearly about meeting Jesus face to face and being ready for Final Judgment.
- Now we come to the final two verses and we are confused because it seems like Jesus randomly inserts some teaching about interpersonal relationships in a way that doesn’t fit. Even though the teaching is similar to Matthew 5, the context is completely different – this time it’s Final Judgment.
- So what do these words have to do with Final Judgment?
- Well, let’s look at the verses in that context.
- We will one day all stand before the Judge in Final Judgment. To use Jesus’ term, we will all stand before the magistrate. We can say that is God the Father.
- How can we say Jesus is our adversary? I thought He was our Savior.
- Yes, He is our Savior, but only for those who reconcile with Him before Final Judgment, which is exactly what the analogy says.
- It’s a stark truth, but the One who now offers to be our Savior at Final Judgment will become our adversary at Final Judgment if we’ve rejected Him and His offer of salvation. It doesn’t mean that He hates us or wants to see us condemned. It does mean that what He did for us – showing the love of God through His sacrificial death – becomes a detriment to us if we refuse to accept “so great salvation.”
WHAT TO LEARN HERE:
- Let’s unpack some of the specifics this passage teaches.
1. Do not overestimate the strength of your case.
- Luke 12:58 – “he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.”
- I said earlier that Karen sees all the time in magistrate court people presuming they have a strong case only to have it decimated in court. People tend to overestimate the strength of their case.
- We definitely do that spiritually. A few of the most common statements:
a. “I’m a good person.”
b. “I’m not as bad as him.”
c. “I was justified.”
d. “It wasn’t my fault.”
- We are not nearly as scared of Final Judgment as we should be.
- Consider a couple verses from earlier in Luke 12. Verses 2-3 tell us that everything about our lives will be revealed. Can you imagine your every thought, every motive, every word, every action revealed? Whether originally public or private?
- The standard of judgment to get into heaven is not “better than average” but “perfect like Jesus.” That’s a standard that should give us pause.
- One example of not understanding your true situation is American Idol auditions. We’ve all seen people come in, clearly convinced of how great a voice they have, only to open their mouths and sound like two cats fighting. Our self-assessment is not always accurate.
2. The result of failing to get reconciled is prison.
- Luke 12:58 – “the officer will throw you into prison.”
- Prison here is clearly an image of hell.
- We don’t like to talk about hell much anymore, but the Bible is clear that there is a consequence to refusing Jesus’ offer of salvation.
- There is a lot to be said about hell, but one thing that this analogy brings out is that there is a penalty that has to be paid for the sins we have committed. If we are unwilling to recognize our situation and eagerly grasp onto the generous offer of reconciliation that Jesus extends, then we are left to pay ourselves for our sins. That puts us in an impossible situation.
3. Understand the permanence of the penalty if you refuse to reconcile.
- Luke 12:59 – “I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
- One of the horrible truths that the Bible shares about hell is that it is an eternal punishment. In this analogy, the concluding remark is that the person will not get out until he has paid the last penny. To know how much sin debt we have accrued and how we are unable to pay that off, the statement here is a statement of eternity.
- Why say it in this way? Because Jesus is emphasizing that this is the only way that you avoid the penalty – the debt has to be paid off. So you have to choose one of two options: either have a plan for paying it off yourself or grasp onto the offer of reconciliation being made to you. Of course, only one of those is even possible.
- Jesus states it in this way to point us toward an understanding of our spiritual situation.
4. How do you get reconciled? In this case, admit your failings and receive his offer of forgiveness.
- Luke 12:58 – “As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way.”
- Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23.
- We are “on the way” right now as we are walking this earth.
- We know from the rest of the Bible that we are guilty of sin before God (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23). We also know that out of love for us Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins. We know that we can receive that into our lives by repenting and asking for His forgiveness.
