⭐WEB · Matthew 5:23
What does Matthew 5:23 mean?
"“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,"
— Matthew 5:23 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,
leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.
Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.
Explanation
Matthew 5:23 begins a single thought that Jesus completes in the following verse, so understanding it well means keeping verse 24 in mind even though our focus is on this half of the sentence. In plain language, Jesus describes a specific scenario: a person is in the act of worship, bringing an offering to the altar, when suddenly they recall that someone else has a grievance against them. The verse captures that moment of realization mid-ritual, before Jesus tells us what to do about it in the next verse (leave the gift, go be reconciled, then return to offer it).
The context is the Sermon on the Mount, and specifically the section where Jesus is expanding on the commandment against murder. He has just said that anger and contempt toward others are serious matters, not just physical violence. The "altar" he references is the altar in the Jerusalem temple, where Jewish worshippers brought sacrifices and gifts as acts of devotion to God. Jesus's original audience would have understood this practice intimately, since temple sacrifice was central to Jewish religious life. Jesus is speaking to people who take worship seriously and who would recognize the scenario of standing before the altar with an offering in hand.
Theologically, this verse teaches that worship and human relationships are inseparable in God's eyes. Jesus assumes that the worshipper's
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