Matthew 5:23-24

Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV):  “23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Reconciliation is essential in every relationship. It runs alongside forgiveness—they are inseparable. God not only calls us to be forgiven, but to be reconciled, and He makes it clear that our relationships with others matter when we come before Him in worship.

After declaring that He came to fulfill the Law, Jesus begins to press into the heart behind it. He connects internal anger with the outward act of murder—raising the standard far beyond external obedience. Then He says if you come to the altar—the place of examination and worship—and remember that someone has something against you, you are to leave your offering, go, and be reconciled. Obedience takes precedence over ritual.

How often do we approach God while holding onto tension, bitterness, or unresolved conflict? Jesus isn’t calling us to simply suppress those thoughts—He’s calling us to pursue reconciliation with the one who has been offended. True worship is not just vertical, it’s horizontal as well. We don’t just make things right with God; we make things right with people. Then we return and worship with a clear heart. This is what it means to walk in genuine worship.

Father, thank You that through Jesus we have been reconciled to You. Help us to take seriously the call to live as ministers of reconciliation. Search our hearts and bring to mind anyone we need to pursue, that we would walk in obedience and honor You in our relationships. We ask it in Jesus’ name, amen.