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23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. ~ Matthew 5:23-26
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 5 where the Lord Jesus is teaching those who had gathered before Him overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Matthew 5-7 is known as the Sermon on the Mount and in it the Lord Jesus describes the application of the kingdom of God to the heart of the believer. In Proverbs 4:23 we read, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." God always starts with our heart because He knows our hearts are the core and the essence of our being.
In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
In our previous study we considered the words of the Lord Jesus about how sin is deeper than the various actions that we employ which do not measure up to the truth found in God's Word. The Lord Jesus is the only one who can see into the human heart. The problem of the fallen human heart is that it has been infected by rebellion, sin, and death. We are naturally at odds with God. This is why the Lord Jesus came to this earth, to remedy our problem at the cross of Calvary. With that remembered, the Lord Jesus in today's passage introduces the altar. The word "altar" points us to the ultimate reality and that is worship of God. What we worship the most is what we love the most and that is what defines us most.
The word translated "bring" is a word used to describe an offering or a gift. More often than not, this word is used when referring to gifts or offerings presented to God. Then notice that the offering is offered upon "the altar." This is specifically referring to an altar for sacrifice. Literally, it describes a person bringing an offering to God at the temple where atonement was made for sin. Regardless of the type of offering, the person delivering the offering is coming before God.
Then the Lord Jesus added, "and there (you) remember that your brother has something against you." Notice that the Lord said, "your brother has something against you." After saying for us to first be reconciled to our brother, we are to then come and offer our gift to God. Notice we are to first go and then come. We are not to just come to worship; we are to come to worship in an authentic way. Self-examination enhances our worship of God. Before we go to worship God, we must examine our hearts so that our worship is genuine and authentic.
We do well to deal with any ill-will we might have with a brother in the Lord before we go to worship because such angst can hinder the involvement of our hearts. There is no greater threat to our worship of the Lord than unconfessed sin in our hearts. If our hearts are in a bad state with our brother, it will affect our fellowship with the Lord. In 1 John 4:20-21 we read, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."
The scribes and pharisees were most concerned by their appearance and their supposed piety before the people was of the highest value to them. The religious are always concerned about externals but God always points us to the heart of the matter which is the matter of the heart. The conscience of the religious leaders of Israel towards the things of God and proper fellowship with others was sorely lacking. Therefore, when they came forward with a gift, it would be with their head held high and in a manner that would make everyone stop and watch them. To them, the external act was what mattered even though they had heart issues.
The Lord expects harmony among brothers and sincerity in our hearts. As for the word translated "reconciled," it is found only here in the Bible. It means to change thoroughly. For example, one is to mentally reconcile with those with whom there is ill-will. But that mental state can only happen when there is a harmonious agreement between the offended party and the offender. This internal state of being properly prepared to approach the altar is a must if we are to treat our worship of God as we should.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison."
The word "agree" is found only once in the New Testament. It gives the sense of being well-minded or being quickly well-minded toward your brother. This is met with the words, "while you are on the way with him." With these words the Lord Jesus gave a real-life example of how things are so that the precept just stated is understandable to His audience. God's ultimate desire for you and me is that we are at harmony with Him and others and that harmony encourages others to worship God.
From here, the Lord Jesus said, "lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison." Imprisonment is the destination of those who are not willing to humble themselves before God to the point of dealing with their sin. And, the worst imprisonment isn't a place, it is a condition where sin reigns. This is bad because we know that the goal of sin is to destroy us.
In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."
It seems the Lord Jesus here presents a situation in which a person owes money to another and has not fully repaid. He encourages such a one to come to an agreement with the one to whom something is likely owed, lest that adversary deliver him up to imprisonment. This was a surety if the person did not paid the last penny or the smallest unit of Roman money. There will always be accountability and this is why the truth will always prevail. Once imprisoned the person’s lot would be set and there would be no release until the money, no matter how small, was paid in full.
In context, the Lord Jesus is making a point about the surety of the truth. By its very nature as the truth, the law demands to be upheld. But we are fallen and to fall short of sustaining it means we will be condemned. So, by the nature of the truth the standard is set, and only perfection is acceptable by God. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:12-13, "Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned 13 For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law."
Thank God that He went on to say in Romans 5:15-17 which reads, "15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
