⭐WEB · Matthew 5:24
What does Matthew 5:24 mean?
"leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
— Matthew 5:24 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
“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.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’
Explanation
Matthew 5:24 sits within a larger teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus says that if you are offering a gift at the altar and remember that a brother has something against you, you should leave the gift there, go and be reconciled to that person, and only then return to complete your offering. In plain language, Jesus is saying that worship and unresolved relational conflict cannot simply coexist as if nothing were wrong. If you know someone holds a grievance against you, the honest and godly response is to interrupt your religious activity, go make things right with that person, and then come back to finish what you were doing before God.
The context is essential to understanding the force of this teaching. Jesus is speaking to a Jewish audience familiar with temple worship, where bringing a sacrificial gift to the altar was a central act of devotion and obedience to the law. In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus has just finished expanding the command against murder, showing that anger and contempt toward others are serious matters of the heart, not just the outward act of killing. He uses the image of someone literally standing at the altar, in the middle of a formal act of worship, to make the point vivid and urgent. This was radical because it placed reconciliation with people above the completion of a religious ritual, even one commanded by the law of Moses.
Theologically, this verse teaches that genuine worship of God is inseparable from right relationships with others. Jesus is not saying that ritual worship is unimportant; rather, he is showing that offering a gift to God while ignoring broken relationships is hollow and incomplete. This echo
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.