Matthew 5:24

Matthew 5:24

22 But I say to you that ^awhoever is angry with his brother¹ without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ^b‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says,³ ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of⁴ hell fire.

23 Therefore ^aif you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 ^aleave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25 ^aAgree with your adversary quickly, ^bwhile 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.

Adultery in the Heart

27 “You have heard that it was said¹ to those of old, ^a‘You shall not commit adultery.’

28 But I say to you that whoever ^alooks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother—The meaning evidently is—not, "dismiss from thine own breast all ill feeling, "but" get thy brother to dismiss from his mind all grudge against thee."

and then come and offer thy gift—"The picture," says THOLUCK," is drawn from life. It transports us to the moment when the Israelite, having brought his sacrifice to the court of the Israelites, awaited the instant when the priest would approach to receive it at his hands. He waits with his gift at the rails which separate the place where he stands from the court of the priests, into which his offering will presently be taken, there to be slain by the priest, and by him presented upon the altar of sacrifice." It is at this solemn moment, when about to cast himself upon divine mercy, and seek in his offering a seal of divine forgiveness, that the offerer is supposed, all at once, to remember that some brother has a just cause of complaint against him through breach of this commandment in one or other of the ways just indicated. What then? Is he to say, As soon as I have offered this gift I will go straight to my brother, and make it up with him? Nay; but before another step is taken—even before the offering is presented—this reconciliation is to be sought, though the gift have to be left unoffered before the altar. The converse of the truth here taught is very strikingly expressed in Mark 11:25-26 : "And when ye stand praying (in the very act), forgive, if ye have aught (of just complaint) against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive you," etc. Hence the beautiful practice of the early Church, to see that all differences amongst brethren and sisters in Christ were made up, in the spirit of love, before going to the Holy Communion; and the Church of England has a rubrical direction to this effect in her Communion service. Certainly, if this be the highest act of worship on earth, such reconciliation though obligatory on all other occasions of worship—must be peculiarly so then.

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Matthew 5:24:**

Proverbs 19:11
Matthew 5:7
Matthew 5:20
Matthew 5:28
2 Corinthians 5:18
Colossians 1:20
1 Timothy 2:8
James 5:16

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Matthew 5:25 >>

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