Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 5:26

"Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing." — Matthew 5:26 (ASV)

The uttermost farthing — The Greek word is derived from the Latin quadrans, the fourth part of the Roman as, a small copper or bronze coin that had become common in Palestine. The “mite,” half the quadrans (Mark 12:42), was the smallest coin in circulation. The “farthing” of Matthew 10:29 is a different word and was applied to the tenth part of the drachma.

Do the words point to a terminable or an endless punishment? In the framework of the parable, such a sentence would not involve perpetual imprisonment if the condemned person could only gather the money to pay his debt or fine. From this, we might infer—as Roman Catholic theologians have—that such a payment, followed by release, was possible in God's judgment.

In practice, however, unless the person had friends or property, the sentence would almost always involve a life-long punishment. And when we turn to the realities symbolized in the parable, the question may well be asked: Can a person pay the “uttermost farthing” in that unseen world? Does one pay by enduring a given measure of suffering, bodily or spiritual, for a given time? Can one find others there to pay it for them? Do not the words “till you have paid” exclude the idea that others could intervene to prevent the full effect of the great law of retribution?

For the most part, the answers to these questions diminish the force of that first, hasty conclusion. If hope is not shut out altogether, it is because we cannot absolutely answer the first question in the negative. There may be a suffering that works repentance, and the repentance may lead to peace and pardon—there may be, but that is the very most that can be said.

It is noteworthy that the word “prison” is the one used in 1 Peter 3:19, where the “spirits in prison” are, almost beyond a doubt, represented as the objects of a divine administration that proclaimed even there the good news of salvation. But the whole tone of the passage seeks to deepen the sense of danger, not to make light of it. The goal is to make people feel that they cannot pay their debt, though God may forgive it freely, accepting faith in Him instead of payment.