Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 5:25

"Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison." — Matthew 5:25 (ASV)

Agree with your adversary — The imagery changes and returns to that of human courts, which we encountered in Matthew 5:22. The person whom we have wronged appears as the “adversary,” the prosecutor bringing a charge against us. The impulse of the natural person at such a time, even when conscious of wrongdoing, is to make the best of their case, to prevaricate, and to recriminate. The truer wisdom, Christ teaches, is to “agree”—or better, to be on good terms with him—by showing our own goodwill and thus winning him over. It is obvious that the whole teaching is addressed to one who has done wrong. The treatment of a false charge involves different considerations.

The officer — In this case, it is the officer of the court, the jailer.

In the application of these words, the judge is clearly God, and the officers are those (angels or others) who execute His judgment. The “adversary” represents those whom we have wronged, leaving that wrong unaddressed. In 1 Peter 5:8, the devil is described as the great “adversary,” and that meaning is perhaps not excluded here, though it is not prominent. Any evil deed ultimately becomes like an accusing Satan, bearing witness against us, and Satan himself is the embodiment of all such accusers.