Settling Disputes
LENT 2023 | DAY 7
Matthew 5:25-26 (NIV)
(Tina Khoo, Pastoral Team Member, Membership & Volunteer Care)
READ:
Matthew 5:25-26 (NIV)
DAILY REFLECTION:
I had always thought that in this passage Jesus was giving counsel on gaining personal advantage. It is not so.
In Jesus’ day, someone who couldn’t pay a debt was thrown into prison until the debt was paid. Unless someone came to pay the debt, the prisoner would probably die there. It is practical to resolve our differences with our enemies before their anger causes more trouble. In a broader sense, these verses advise us to get things right with our brothers and sisters before we have to stand before God. Jesus is saying that all disputes should be taken care of without delay and that to fail at this has dire consequences.
I have never gotten into a disagreement that took me to court before, but I’ve learnt that small conflicts mend more easily when I try to make peace right away. “I am sorry” are three words that are hardest for me to say. I used to be stubborn and would not budge or take the first step to reconcile especially when I thought that I was right. Once when I was much younger, I refused to speak to my elder sister for almost two years because I felt that I was wronged. Now that I am a disciple of Christ, and His Word tells me that “blessed are the peacemakers”, I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to grant me the humility to actively seek to be at peace with others. Saying “I am sorry” also gets easier with practice. Sometimes we can agree to disagree without breaking fellowship with one another.
FAMILY DISCUSSION POINTERS:
1. Why is “I am sorry!” the three hardest words to say?
2. Are there instances where someone has been aggrieved by something you did, or said? How might you reconcile with that person?
3. Think of ways where you can be a peacemaker – in your family, church, the marketplace and in society.
