Matthew 5:24

Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. LEAVE THERE THY GIFT BEFORE THE ALTAR, AND GO THY WAY; FIRST BE RECONCILED TO THY BROTHER, [ diallageethi (G1259) too (G3588) adelfoo (G80)]. 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. H...

21-26 The Jewish teachers had taught, that nothing except actual murder was forbidden by the sixth commandment. Thus they explained away its spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full meaning of this commandment; according to which we must be judged hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. All rash anger is heart murder. By our brother, here, we are to understand any person, though ever so much below us, for we are all made of one blood. "Raca," is a scornful word, and comes from pride: "Thou fool," is a spiteful word, and comes from hatred. Malicious slanders and censures are poison that kills secretly and slowly. Christ told them that how light soever they made of these sins, they would certainly be called into judgment for them. We ought carefully to preserve Christian love and peace with all our brethren; and if at any time there is a quarrel, we should confess our fault, humb...

Verse Matthew 5:24. _LEAVE THERE THY GIFT BEFORE THE ALTAR_] This is as much as to say, "Do not attempt to bring any offering to God while thou art in a spirit of enmity against any person; or hast any difference with thy neighbour, which thou hast not used thy diligence to get adjusted." It is our duty and interest, both to bring our gift, and offer it too; but God will not accept of any act of religious worship from us, while any enmity subsists in our hearts towards any soul of man; or while any subsists in our neighbour's heart towards us, which we have not used the proper means to remove. A religion, the very essence of which is _love_, cannot suffer at its altars a heart that is revengeful and uncharitable, or which does not use its utmost endeavours to revive love in the heart of another. The original word, δωρον, which we translate _gift_, is used by the rabbins in...

THEREFORE, IF THOU BRING THY GIFT TO THE ALTAR ... - The Pharisees were intent only on the external act in worship. They looked not at all to the internal state of the mind. If a man conformed to the external rites of religion, however much envy, and malice, and secret hatred he might have, they thought he was doing well. Our Saviour taught a different doctrine. It was of more consequence to have the heart right than to perform the outward act. If, therefore, says he, a man has gone so far as to bring his gift to the very altar, and should remember that anyone had anything against him, it was his duty there to leave his offering and go and be reconciled. While a difference of this nature existed, his offering could not be acceptable. He was not to wait until the offended brother should come to him; he was to go and seek him out, and be reconciled. So now the worship of God will not be ac...

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 5:1 AND SEEING THE MULTITUDES; _i.e. _those spoken of in Matthew 4:25—the multitudes who were at that point of time following him. HE WENT UP. From the lower ground by the lake. INTO A MOUNTAIN; Revised Version, _into the mountain _(εἰς τὸ ὄρος);_ i.e. _not any special mountain, but "the mountain nearest the place spoken of—the mountain near by" (Thayer); in contrast to any lower place, whether that was itself fairly high ground (as probably Luke 9:28) or the shore of the lake. The actual spot here referred to may have been far from, or, and more probably ...

LEAVE THERE THY GIFT BEFORE THE ALTAR,.... This might easily be done, and the business soon dispatched, at some seasons; particularly, at their public feasts, as the passover, pentecost, and feast of tabernacles, when all the Israelites were together: AND GO THY WAY; make what haste thou canst, FIRST BE RECONCILED TO THY BROTHER: use all means to reconcile him; acknowledge the offence; ask his pardon; assure him that thou wishest well to him, and not ill; AND THEN COME AND OFFER THY GIFT, by putting it on the altar, before which it was left. This shows, that acts of love and friendship are preferable to sacrifices; and that sacrifices offered up in wrath, and whilst unreconciled to others, are unacceptable to God, and of no avail: and so much the Jews themselves seem to acknowledge; when they say e: "that transgressions, which are between a man and God, the day of atonement expiates;...

Matthew 5:1. _And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,-_ Our Saviour soon gathered a congregation. The multitudes perceived in him a love to them, and a willingness to impart blessing to them, and therefore they gathered about him. He chose the mountain and the open air for the delivery of this great discourse, and we should be glad to find such a place for our assemblies; but in this variable climate we cannot often do so. «And when he was set.» The Preacher sat, and the people stood. We might make a helpful change if we were sometimes to adopt a similar plan now. I am afraid that ease of posture may contribute to the creation of slumber of heart in the hearers. There Christ sat, and «his disciples came unto him.» They formed the inner circle that was ever nearest to hi

5. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KING CONCERNING HIS KINGDOM. CHAPTER S 5-7 _ 1. The Characteristics of the heirs of the Kingdom.(Matthew 5:1 .) 2. The Confirmation of the Law and its Expansion.(Matthew 5:17 .)_ CHAPTER 5 In the closing of the last chapter we saw our Lord Jesus Christ surrounded by a great multitude of people, which followed Him and who were attracted by the King's presence, before whom the various diseases had to flee. If we turn to the eighth chapter we find the continuation of these scenes we had in the last half of the fourth chapter. Between these two Chapter s are three very important ones, which are as such found only in this Gospel. The contents of the fifth, sixth and seventh Chapter s are in the form of a continued discourse of our Lord, commonly called “t

THE FULFILLED LAW IN RELATION TO THE TEACHING OF THE SCRIBES. Matthew 5:21. Murder and Malice. Ye (have) heard: _ i.e._ in the synagogues. The addition to the sixth commandment represents the tradition of the elders; the JUDGEMENT means legal proceedings. Jesus shows that the commandment involves more than the act of murder; it embraces also feelings and words. Anger, let alone murder, is a crime, and involves judgment at God's hands. Without cause is rightly omitted: it weakens the sharp antithesis of Jesus-' words. In the _Raca_ sentence Jesus returns to current Jewish teaching. As to Matthew 5:21 He opposed His own teaching (Matthew 5:22_ a_), so to this ...

III. DUTY BEFORE WORSHIP. 23, 24. THEREFORE, IF THOU BRING THY GIFT TO THE ALTAR. This springs immediately out of the modification of the law, Thou shalt not kill, which required that there should be no anger or estrangement with. brother. Before the old dispensation was replaced by the new the highest act of worship was to bring. gift to the altar. Yet even this most sacred act must give way to reconciliation. If about to offer it, and the remembrance comes that. brother, one near to thee,. kinsman,. spiritual brother,. neighbor, hath aught against thee, leave the gift unoffered, go and make it right with him, and then offer thy gift. This shows that one guilty of wrongs to his fellowman cannot offer acceptable worship to God. The wrongs must be rectified before God will receive our worship.. part of our duty to God is duty to our fellowman. This places on the highest possible ground....