Matthew 5:23

{6} Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the {o} altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; (6) The covetous Pharisees taught that God was appeased by the sacrifices appointed in the law, which they themselves devoured. But Christ on the contrary side denies that God accepts any man's offering, unless he makes satisfaction to his brother whom he has offended: and says moreover, that these stubborn and stiff-necked despisers of their brethren will never escape the wrath and curse of God before they have made full satisfaction to their brethren. (o) He applies all this speech to the state of his time, when there was then an altar standing in Jerusalem, and therefore they are very foolish that gather from this that we must build altars and use sacrifices: but they are bigger fools who consider this to be purgatory, which is spoken of as peace making and atonement one with another.

Matthew 5:23 . Therefore, &c. — “Because men are very apt to fall into rash anger, and to express their anger by contemptuous speeches and abusive names, fancying that there is no sin in these things, or but little, and that the compensation may easily be made for them by acts of devotion, Jesus declares that atonement is not to be made for these offences by any offerings, how costly soever, and therefore prescribes immediate repentance and reparation as the only remedies of them. He insisted particularly on reparation, assuring us that, unless it be made, God will not accept the worship of such offenders, being infinitely better pleased with repentance than with sacrifices, or external worship of any kind, how specious soever those duties may appear in the eye of vulgar understandings. Vain, therefore, is their presumption, who fancy they can make amends for yet more gross acts of injustice, by acts of devotion. ” — Macknight. If thou bring thy gift to the altar — However costly and free; and there rememberest — What thou didst not recollect before; that thy brother hath aught against thee — On any of the preceding accounts, for any reproachful or unkind word, or injurious action: do not content thyself with a secret, and, it may be, a deceitful purpose that thou wilt hereafter accommodate the affair, but bring it to an immediate issue.

Leave there thy gift before the altar — In the hands of those that are ministering there: for neither thy gift nor thy prayer will atone for thy want of love and injurious conduct, but these will make thy devotions and oblations an abomination before God. Go thy way — Do not lay aside thoughts of worshipping God, because thou art not in a proper state, but prepare thyself for his worship without delay. Be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift — Which thou mayest then cheerfully hope God will accept at thy hand. Philo, ( de Sacrif., p. 844,) explaining the law of the trespass- offering, tells us, “That when a man had injured his brother, and, repenting of his fault, voluntarily acknowledged it, (in which case, both restitution and sacrifice were required,) he was first to make restitution, and then to come into the temple, presenting his sacrifice, and asking pardon.” This greatly illustrates the text, especially considering that our Lord supposes, in this case, not a trespass-offering, but a voluntary gift, presented before the altar; and yet declares that this will not be accepted while there is a consciousness of having wronged a brother, and not made him reparation.

Matthew 5:23-24 . Holtzmann (H. C.) regards these verses, as well as the two following, as an addition by the evangelist. But the passage is at least in thorough harmony with what goes before, as well as with the whole discourse.— Ἐὰν οὖν προσφέρῃς , if thou art in the very act of presenting thine offering (present tense) at the altar.— κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς … κατὰ σοῦ , and it suddenly flashes through thy mind there that thou hast done something to a brother man fitted to provoke angry feeling in him. What then? Get through with thy worship as fast as possible and go directly after and make peace with the offended? No, interrupt the religious action and go on that errand first.— ἄφες ἐκεῖ . Lay it down on the spur of the moment before the altar without handing it to the priest to be offered by him in thy stead.— καὶ ὕπαγε πρῶτον . The πρῶτον is to be joined to ὕπαγε , not to the following verb as in A. V[22] and R. V[23] ( πρῶτον stands after the verb also in chaps. Matthew 6:33 , Matthew 7:5 ). First go : remove thyself from the temple, break off thy worship, though it may seem profane to do so.— διαλλάγηθι … καὶ τότε … πρόσφερε : no contempt for religious service expressed or implied. Holtzmann (H. C.) asks, did Jesus offer sacrifice? and answers, hardly. In any case He respected the practice. But, reconciliation before sacrifice: morality before religion.

Significant utterance, first announcement of a great principle often repeated, systematically neglected by the religion of the time. Placability before sacrifice, mercy before sacrifice, filial affection and duty before sacrifice; so always in Christ’s teaching ( Matthew 9:13 ; Matthew 15:5 ). πρόσφερε : present; set about offering: plenty of time now for the sacred action. [22] Authorised Version. [23] Revised Version.

(23) If thou bring thy gift to the altar. —Literally, If thou shouldst be offering. Our Lord was speaking to Jews as such, and paints, therefore, as it were, a scene in the Jewish Temple. The worshipper is about to offer a “gift” (the most generic term seems intentionally used to represent any kind of offering), and stands at the altar with the priest waiting to do his work. That is the right time for recollection and self-scrutiny. The worshipper is to ask himself, not whether he has a ground of complaint against any one, but whether any one has cause of complaint against him. This, and not the other, is the right question at such a moment—has he injured his neighbour by act, or spoken bitter words of him?

Matthew 5:23 . Ἐὰν οὖν , κ . τ . λ ., if therefore , etc.) Reconciliation is not said to be only then necessary, for the word ἐκεῖ , there ) indicates that you ought to have remembered it before; but the meaning is, Whatever you are doing, even if you have already undertaken the best and most holy and most necessary matter, leave everything until you have been reconciled to your brother: see Ephesians 4:26 . They sin who do not make it up with their brother, until they are just about to receive the Holy Supper. Yet reconciliation is especially necessary, and an examination of the conscience especially imperative on those who are about to perform the most solemn act of devotion.— ἐπὶ , to ) For it was the part of the priest to offer on the altar, and afterwards occurs the expression, ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου , before the altar .— καὶ ἐκεῖ μνησθῇς , and there rememberest ) The word of God portrays the most hidden secrets of the human heart. In the performance of a sacred rite, the remembrance of offences arises more naturally, than in the noise of human affairs.— ἔχει , hath ) as having been offended [by thee].

Matthew 5:23 f. Ἐὰν … προσφέρῃς ] If thou, then, art about to present thy sacrifice ( δῶρον , Matthew 8:4 , Matthew 15:5 , Matthew 23:18 , also in the LXX., Apocrypha, and Greek writers); consequently, art already occupied with the preparation of the same in the temple.[408] This explanation is required by the words ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυς . ( ad aram ), Matthew 5:24 . ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστ .] to the altar , in order that the priests may offer it upon the same. κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς , κ . τ . λ .] “inter rem sacram magis subit recordatio offensarum, quam in strepitu negotiorum,” Bengel. The injured part is the ἀδελφός ; differently in Mark 11:25 , where forgiveness is required. ἔμπροσθ . τοῦ θυσιαστ .] A closer definition added to ἐκεῖ . πρῶτον ] in the first place ( Matthew 6:33 ), before everything else, what thou now hast to do. Compare τότε afterwards. It is to be connected with ὕπαγε (Luther, Erasmus, Castalio, Bengel, and many others; also Gersdorf, p. 107; de Wette, Ewald, Arnoldi, Bleek). Comp. Matthew 7:5 , Matthew 13:30 , Matthew 23:26 . The connection with διαλλάγ . (Beza, Calvin, Er. Schmidt, and many others; also Kuinoel, Fritzsche, Tholuck, and others) overlooks the essential moment which is contained in the connection precisely by the ὕπαγε , the unavoidable, surprising, nay, repellent removal of oneself from the temple. For that ὕπαγε is not here merely an appeal, age , is shown by the context through the words ἄφες ἐκεῖ , etc.

In Matthew 18:15 , Matthew 19:21 , also, it means abi . διαλλάγηθι ] be reconciled , deal so that a reconciliation may begin with him who has been injured by thee. Comp. 1 Samuel 29:4 , and on the passage 1 Corinthians 7:11 . In this way the act of sacrifice receives the moral foundation of a disposition pleasing to God, by which it is no mere external work, but is at the same time λογικὴ λατρεία , Romans 12:1 . Flacius well remarks, s.v. munus: “Vult primam haberi rationem moralium, secundum ceremonialium.” Moreover, the distinction asserted by Tittmann to exist between διαλλάσσειν and καταλλάσσειν , that the former denotes the removal of mutual hostility, the latter that of one-sided enmity ( Synon . p. 102), is decidedly erroneous. Fritzsche, ad Rom . I. p. 276 ff. [408] The severance of the Jewish believers from the temple service was only to begin at a later time, John 4:21 . The Catholic exegesis knows, indeed, how to find here the permanent sacrifice of the Eucharist, regarding which Christ is said in the passage before us to have given a law which is for ever valid, Döllinger, Christenthum und Kirche , p. 250 f., ed. 2.