Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has ought against you;
thou.
Matthew 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Matthew 23:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Deuteronomy 16:16,17 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: …
rememberest.
Genesis 41:9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
Genesis 42:21,22 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us…
Genesis 50:15-17 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him…
and there remember that your brother has something against you,
This phrase highlights the importance of interpersonal relationships in the context of worship. The term "brother" can be understood broadly to mean any fellow believer or member of the community. The instruction to reconcile with a brother before offering a gift underscores the biblical principle that right relationships with others are integral to a right relationship with God (1 John 4:20-21). This teaching aligns with the broader biblical theme of reconciliation and forgiveness, as seen in passages like Matthew 18:15-17 and Ephesians 4:32. The emphasis on remembering suggests an active awareness and responsibility to address grievances, reflecting the call to live in peace and unity within the body of Christ.
• Jesus pictures a worshiper approaching God with a tangible sacrifice, underscoring that sincere worship is never casual (Leviticus 1:3; Psalm 50:14; Hebrews 13:15).
• The “altar” highlights God’s holiness; being there says, “I’m here to honor You first.”
• Today, every prayer, song, tithe, or act of service is our “gift” (Romans 12:1). God still expects a heart aligned with our outward offering.
• In the very act of worship, the Spirit can bring to mind unresolved sin or tension (John 14:26; Psalm 139:23-24).
• This remembering isn’t incidental; it’s God’s gracious prompting to keep our hearts clean (1 Corinthians 11:28, 31).
• Note that conviction comes while we’re drawing near—God values integrity more than ritual.
• The issue is not merely that you are offended, but that someone else has reason to hold a grievance against you (Matthew 18:15; Romans 12:18).
• Broken relationships hinder fellowship with God (1 John 4:20; Mark 11:25).
• Practical implications:
– Own whatever part of the conflict is yours (Ephesians 4:26-27).
– Initiate peace quickly, before worship feels “normal” again (Proverbs 28:13).
– Honor the other person by listening, apologizing, and making restitution if needed (Luke 19:8).
True worship demands more than a gift; it demands a heart at peace with others. When God brings a fractured relationship to mind, He is calling us to pause, seek reconciliation, and then return to worship with clean hands and a clear conscience.
(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?Verse 23. - Therefore. Seeing that the consequences of an angry spirit are so terrible. For there is no thought here of an unforgiving spirit spoiling the acceptance of the gift (vide infra). Our Lord is insisting that it is so important to lose no time in seeking reconciliation with a person whom one has injured, that even the very holiest action must be put off for it. If thou bring; Revised Version, if... thou art offering; ἐὰν... προσφέρῃς (similarly, πρόσηερε, ver. 24), the technical word coming some sixty times in Leviticus alone. Christ implies that the action has already begun. Thy gift; a general word for any sacrifice. To the altar. Since those to whom he spoke were still Jews, Christ illustrates his meaning by Jewish practices. A perverse literalism has found here a direct reference to the Eucharist. For reasonable adaptations (cf. even in ' Didache,' § 14.) of these two verses to this, see Waterland, 'Doctrine of the Eucharist,' ch. 13. § 4 (pp. 359-362, Oxford, 1868). And there rememberest, etc. For the spirit of recollection may well culminate with the culminating action. Lightfoot ('Hor. Hebr.') shows that even the Jews taught such a postponement of the sacrifice if theft was remembered. He therefore thinks that the stress is on "ought" (τι): "For that which the Jews restrained only to pecuniary damages, Christ extends to all offences against our brother." But he overlooks the fact that, while the Jewish precept had reference to a sin (or even the neglect of some ceremonial rule, cf. Mishna, 'Pes.,' 3:7) vitiating the offering, there is no thought of this hero (vide supra). Thy brother (ver. 22, note). Ought. So from Tyndale downwards. Revised Version, aught, here and apparently always, after the spelling now preferred as marking the difference from the verb.