In Debt

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

There seems to be a problem of another sort here that's brewing. We're still with the council it looks like, but this time, we're on the way to the judge for another matter entirely. These are those civil matters of let's say stealing, lying, or even murder. If you have an adversary that doesn't quite seem to agree for whatever reason, they might need to be settled with in a quiet and peaceable manner entirely. This is best done in the community setting while offering your gift of service to others or perhaps a bit before. Regardless, should the situation call for it and depending on the offense, the adversary may be inclined to bring the matter before the judge and the court. The deciding factor in this process then would be the nature of the adversary and the adversity. Let's see if we can get any more information on this matter any further. The text seems to indicate it's a debt since there's a paying of farthings mentioned. I suppose this could be a debt of many miles or of much money. It depends on whichever way you wish to look at it. I suppose though the matter could be quite simply this.

There's a situation in which I owe you. You being the adversary are inclined to have me settle the matter quickly. For once I think I rather ought to agree. You and I are both here in the way, we're headed somewhere, and it's nice and cozy there I think. If not, I'd let you know. Let's say though that I disagree with you and the debt. Now there's another situation, one in which you get mad and send me off to the ones to whom I'm owed. It's where the judge and the officer get together to have me sent to a place I otherwise wouldn't have gone had I only agreed. Now it doesn't look like I'm there willingly, does it, but I'm in a situation where I still have to make money to pay you the debt. Perhaps I don't like it and maybe it doesn't even do me any good. Thing is though, there's still me and you and the matter of a certain debt regardless of whether any of the other people ever got involved or not. There's another matter of miles and miles to go before I sleep now, so what. It's all a matter perspective I guess, whether I'm owed or whether the other person is owed or what. Perhaps debt's merely a thing we both give ourselves, so that we have an excuse to see each other more.