Matthew 5:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

NIV: leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

NASB: leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

CSB: leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

NLT: leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

KJV: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

NKJV: leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Jesus has shown how deeply God cares about the hearts of His people. In recent examples, He has placed inner attitudes, like anger, into the same category of "sin" as murder (Matthew 5:21–22). In fact, Jesus said that one who angrily insults or condemns another in anger is liable to the hell of fire. Avoiding unresolved conflict is so important, in fact, that even the most sacred action should be postponed until a reconciliation can be made with another person (Matthew 5:23).

In the previous verse, Jesus placed responsibility on the person who realizes they've given another person cause to be angry. Christ's instruction is to "leave your gift" at the altar instead of finishing what you're doing. Go to your "brother," whether literally or simply a friend or associate, and make things right as soon as possible. Don't wait. Then come back and finish your worship after you've sought reconciliation.

The broad principle of these verses is that our hearts are not right with God if they are not right with each other. We can't worship God with a sincere spirit if we are unrepentant about causing another person legitimate offense.

Matthew 5:21–26 begins to expand Jesus' comments about righteousness. The underlying theme is that sin involves more than just physical actions: it also includes thoughts and attitudes. It's relatively easy to say, ''I do not murder,'' but very difficult to say, ''I'm not unfairly angry towards other people.'' The point is not that anger is literally-and-exactly the same as murder. Rather, it's that unrighteous anger is undeniably a sin, in and of itself. True righteousness—the kind that would be needed to earn heaven—requires that level of perfection. Not only does this teaching counter superficial religious hypocrisy, it underscores the fact that salvation must be by grace through faith, and can never be earned by good works.

The Sermon on the Mount contains some of Jesus' most challenging teaching. It begins with the unlikely blessings of the Beatitudes. Jesus' disciples must do good works in order to be a powerful influence: as the salt of the earth and light of the world. The superficial righteousness of the Pharisees is not good enough to earn heaven. Sins of the heart, such as angry insults and intentional lust, are worthy of hell just as much as adultery and murder. Easy divorce and deceptive oaths are forbidden. Believers should not seek revenge. Instead, God intends us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. In short, we should strive to be perfect, as God is perfect.

Matthew 5 follows Matthew's description of the enormous crowds that were following Jesus (Matthew 4:25). One day, Jesus sits down on a hill to teach them, in an address we now call the Sermon on the Mount. He describes as blessed those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, and who are persecuted. Christ also explains how God's standards of righteousness go far beyond behaviors and speech; they also include our thoughts and attitudes. Meeting God's standards means perfection. Chapter 6 continues this sermon, with more examples of Jesus clarifying God's intent for godly living.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.