Strive for peace

And why do you not even judge for yourself what is right? For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the last lepton.

Luke 12:57-59

Introduction

This exhortation comes after a long rebuke Jesus gives to the people for not recognizing why He came. He did not come to liberate the Jewish nation from Rome as many hoped. Nor did He come to inaugurate an earthly millennial reign wherein peace would overcome the earth. Instead, He says, “Do you think that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division”. His rebuke then extends to the signs of the age and the foolishness of those who did not recognize the time had come for the Messiah to appear. This foolishness which fails to notice the time and season is of a similar nature to the foolishness that prevents us from judging rightly.

Which brings us to this statement from Christ, pleading with us to judge between ourselves rightly. And part of judging rightly is understanding not only your side of the story, but another’s. Proverbs 18:17 teaches us this, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” This simple message is not merely one for discerning truth between two disputing parties, but it is also one which teaches us to understand our own conflicts we have with others. Your injury will always seem like the most important one in a matter, but it is important to weigh all the data before concluding for yourself and locking yourself into a commitment which may very well be foolish.

Going with your opponent

If you are in conflict with someone and are looking for a third party to settle the matter, there are two basic approaches you might take: the first is to be completely settled in your conviction that you are right and your opponent is wrong, while the second would be to seek resolution between the two of you. It might seem like you are past this point. After all, you are seeking some sort of arbitration likely because you were unable to come to an amicable conclusion. But why were you unable to resolve things amicably?

Judge what is right

Nearly every time, judging what is right involves confession. “It takes two to tango,” as the saying goes. While a conflict may very well be primarily the fault of one party, both end up involved in it by the time it comes to arbitration. Consider the ways you have been at fault and look at it objectively. This encouragement on self reflection is not just for the temporal, though. It has eternal significance. While you absolutely can and will avoid harsher consequences by admitting your fault and working with your opponent in matters of this world, perhaps the greater lesson we learn here is that Jesus came to save sinners, among which you and I are counted. Admit your sin and confess it to the One who has already laid down His life as propitiation (1 John 2:2). There is nothing you have done which He does not see, and so before you reach the judgment throne, confess your sin to Him and ask forgiveness. He is faithful to forgive.

May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.