Leadership Wisdom – Using Words to Bring Life and Freedom

Scripture — Matthew 5:23-26 (NRSV)

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Devotion

Double living root bridge in East Khasi.

Jesus warns about the lethal effects of irresponsible anger and speech. In today’s text, he reminds us that the goal of life is flourishing relationships. And Jesus does this using two stories that illustrate the importance of restoring broken ones.

As is often the case with Jesus, these stories offer direction and raise serious questions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jesus wants to make us think. What if the person who has something against you doesn’t want to be reconciled with you? Does that mean you can’t offer your gift to God? What if your adversary is in the wrong and you are in the right? Does this mean we can’t pursue justice and must always reach some kind of accommodation with others?

Jesus’ own example – not to mention the rest of the canon of Scripture – suggest that we can disagree, even passionately, with others. But how we disagree matters. Both these stories suggest that, in our pursuit of righteousness and justice, we need to remember our own limitations and fallenness. In each story, there is a recognition of the possibility of our own culpability.

Instead of holding up some idealized behavior, these stories focus on something deeply practical. They restore our agency as human beings. Rather than viewing us as helpless victims of sin and circumstance, we are challenged to take the initiative. In the second story, the phrase “settle matters quickly” is elsewhere translated “make the first move” (The Message) and “make friends quickly” (NASB ’95). These alternate translations help bring out Jesus’ intentions. We each have the opportunity to take the initiative, to make the first move. And our intent should not be merely to reach a legal accommodation, but to see the image of God in our adversary, to make a friend out of an enemy. And we do this while recognizing our own brokenness and valuing human relationships above all, even above our own religious duties and legal rights.

But there are limits. Not everyone wants reconciliation or a flourishing mutual relationship. So, the Apostle Paul offers this practical guidance: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18, NIV). I know from both personal and business experience that some relationships are broken to the point that God alone can fix. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make an effort to reconcile, but it does mean that our efforts alone are not enough. And sometimes it takes a long time for the reconciliation to come to fruition.

Nevertheless, in an angry and deeply broken world, we are called to live as ambassadors of reconciliation—which means we are called to try, even when we fail. The Church is called to model this behavior, both within its community (“your brother or sister”) and to those who are its enemies (“your adversary”). Despite our considerable failures, we are called to follow our common Lord who has given us the model of how to live life this way (Philippians 2:5-11).

I want to end this reflection with a few practical suggestions:

1. Anger is a gift, a sign that something is wrong. So it is good to pay attention to it. But paying attention requires care and discernment. Knowing whether the problem is “out there,” “in here,” or both is difficult. Therefore, “everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (James 1:19, NIV).
2. For those of us in leadership positions of privilege, we need to do two difficult things. We need to learn to hear the truth spoken by others to those of us who are in power. And we need to learn to speak the truth to others in power, with love, discernment, and courage, on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. Our task as leaders is to set people free into a life of flourishing, not be complicit in the opposite.
3. In an angry and divisive culture, we need to navigate the twin seductions of denial and despair. In part we do that by focusing on the genuinely positive and not the merely negative reality. In a profoundly fallen world, there are always abundant negative examples to focus on in the Church and in the world (Philippians 4:8-9).

There’s plenty to be angry about in the Church and in the world. Remember that God is slow to anger. And he knows the depths of human evil and injustice far more than any of us ever will. How we respond to evil and injustice matters. And so do our words.

Artwork: Double Living Root Bridge in East Khasi – Wikipedia (By Arshiya Urveeja Bose – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17238490)

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: That’s a Little Over the Top.

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