In this post, Jesus explains that tricky little bit about being cast into prison from His Sermon on the Mount. I always wondered what He meant by the judge, the officer, and the prison. Read on:
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.
MATTHEW 5:25
J “Lest at any time” is the key here. At any time, if you have something against your brother (here called your adversary) he could make a plea to Me, the judge. If your brother (or any adversary) makes a plea against you in My courts, like a petition, and he could do this at any time, I may decide to deliver you to “the officer.” The officer is an angel I have put in charge of such matters.
Prison is not necessarily hell, though it could be. Prison is a means of paying “the uttermost farthing,” as in the next verse. In other words, if your adversary, someone you’ve had a disagreement with or someone you are holding something against, petitions Me to judge the case in his favor, if I see his case has merit, I may deliver you to the officer, who will carry out My wishes (my judgment) in the matter.
And when it says, “Thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou has paid the uttermost farthing,” it means that if I make a judgment against you, you’re not going to escape until you’ve satisfied My requirements. I’m already the highest court. So if someone petitions the highest court and is granted a judgment, there is no way out of it. There’s no higher appeal. You’re going to have to pay what you owe, so to speak, which is whatever I say, whatever judgment I make when your adversary makes the petition against you.
So agree quickly—make peace— with your adversary so he doesn’t make a plea, and so I don’t make a judgment against you and you are in a position to meet some requirement that isn’t even clear to you. Because the judgment I make against you in My courts will not necessarily be explained to you. Best to repent quickly, and let your adversary go, in your heart, and not even put yourself in this position in the first place. If I see that you are forgiving and repentant, I will not grant your adversary’s request and he will have no higher court of appeals either, so you will be free.