I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.'…
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. (Mt 5:20-26)
Many a times public anger is expressed to people at home. A man who is angry with the people with whom he works comes home to shout at his own family members. The anger that is within the person spills over into hatred and violence. Anger makes a man a little less than human. Anger belittles the person. This anger will let him use abusive languages and later lead him to court.
Jesus gives two remarkably specific and practical commandments. Be reconciled; make friends. It looks simple yet very difficult and costly. When one wants to be reconciled and make friends then he has to come down from the pedestal on which he is standing. One has to abandon the position of superiority. Yes, genuine humans do not live on pedestals; they have their feet on the ground. They are on a level with everyone.
Reconciliation takes precedence over worship. Jesus gives two examples. One is going to the temple to offer sacrifice and the other is going to the court. In both the cases Jesus tells the listeners not to go the temple or court with out reconciliation. Is it possible? It was possible for Jesus. So reconciliation is not an ideal to preach about or admire; rather it is an achievement, an accomplishment which we have to imitate.
