Luke 12:57

And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer shall cast thee into prison. And I say unto you, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the very last mite.

The exhortation here is for ACTION NOW; do not wait until judgment is set, but make an agreement now, while you are "on the way."

Even of yourselves ... "Why, even without signs, do you not judge rightly of me and of my doctrine by the natural light of reason and of conscience?"[53]

The analogies in this teaching are: (1) Just as the human system of courts decides human affairs, in the larger sphere of time and eternity it is God the judge of all who makes decisions. (2) All men are represented here as "on the way" to court, that is, moving inexorably to that moment when all shall stand before the Judge. (3) The man in the parable had an opportunity to settle before he got to court; and so do men have a chance to make peace with God now. (4) While it was the adversary who provided the occasion for a reconciliation in the parable, it is different spiritually. The one who is with us "on the way" is Christ, who also shall judge men. (5) Letting the matter reach the judge can result only in disaster for the offender; and the man who does not prepare to meet God in advance of the judgment shall likewise encounter disaster. (6) Notice the necessary implication, throughout, that the offender on the way to court has a very poor case, there being no way that "justice" could decide in his favor. (7) Hence, the necessary deduction that preparation should be made NOW. (8) Jesus' use of an analogy which makes him "the adversary" is illuminating. Such was the hostility of that generation that they would instantly have recognized him in the comparison.

"Notice that the whole assumption is that the defendant has a bad case which will inevitably go against him."[54] The universal wickedness of all men appears in such an assumption. Jesus' early statement that they should "of themselves" make a correct judgment is clear in this:

He was saying, "Why can you not be wise enough to humble yourselves and be reconciled to God - be converted - instead of risking the inevitable consequences of coming to the Judgment as an incorrigible adversary of God?"[55]

Till thou hast paid the very last mite ... This is not a promise that after one has paid for his sins in hell, he shall at last be released as having discharged his debt. As Geldenhuys said:

The aorist subjunctive used in the sense of future-perfect: "will have paid"; and that moment never arrives. The full repayment or liquidation of the debt is not possible for the guilty one. Condemnation lasts forever.[56]

For further discussion on the implications of "till," see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 18:34.

Thus concluded the Master's sermon with a powerful persuasion for his hearers to be converted before it would be too late. As Boles said of men, all of us "are moving on to the courtroom of the Great Judge," and all "should make peace with their adversary while they have opportunity to so so."[57]

[53] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 755.

[54] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 175.

[55] Charles L. Childers, op. cit., p. 533.

[56] Norval Geldenhuys, op. cit., p. 369.

[57] H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 267.