In one of the most arresting moments of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs His listeners: “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there… first go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23–24).
Now pause and consider what this means. He is speaking about the Temple—the place of divine encounter, the holiest site in Israel’s imagination. And yet, He is saying that reconciliation with one’s brother or sister takes precedence even over this sacred act. The implications are seismic.
In our culture, religion is often conceived in individualistic terms—a matter of personal belief, private prayer, or interior devotion. But biblical faith is never merely private. It is relational to its core. To worship God rightly, Jesus insists, is to live in communion with others—especially within the family of faith. Disciples are not spiritual freelancers. We are brothers and sisters, bound together by the Fatherhood of God in Christ.
This means that there is no room in Christian worship for the cold dismissal of others, the subtle withholding of forgiveness, or the quiet severing of ties. You cannot come before the altar of God while harboring anger toward your fellow disciple. To do so is not just bad manners—it is religious incoherence. It makes a mockery of the very sacrifice you claim to offer.
To be reconciled, then, is not a sentimental nicety. It is an act of worship. It is part of the offering itself.
The righteousness that surpasses the scribes and Pharisees does not just observe rituals—it seeks wholeness. And in the kingdom of God, that wholeness includes your brother. Reconciliation is not peripheral to discipleship. It is the path to the altar.
Maranatha,
Jordy
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