Matthew 5:23-26 23Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then coming offer your gift. 25Make friends quickly with your accuser while you are with him on the way lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be put in prison. 26Truly I say to you, you will never get out from there until you have paid the last penny.
In verses 23-25, Jesus gives the way disciples should deal with their anger. One of the consequences of uncontrolled and wrongly focused anger is the creation of a barrier between us and God. Offering a gift at the altar for a Jew was a sign of piety and worship. It showed their sincerity and seriousness before God. The problem assumed behind verses 23-24 is the same that the scribes and Pharisees had. The outward actions do nothing for us if there is sin in our inner person.
Another important principle Jesus will repeat several times in this sermon and throughout his teachings is that our relationship to God is determined by our relationship with other people. If we have not forgiven others, God will not forgive us. If we have something against another person, then our worship is meaningless. Jesus leaves wide open the possible issues that can be between people. The anger of the previous could sure be part of this, but anger can lead to many other things like bitterness, jealousy, animosity, and many other attitudes that can ruin relationships.
The answer to the problem is reconciliation. The word reconciled (diallagēthi) is not common in the New Testament and basically means to restore harmony in a relationship. Things need to be made right with other people before we come to worship God; otherwise, our worship is meaningless. In verses 25-26, Jesus gives a simple illustration how reconciliation can be done. The situation is of a person who is accused of doing something and is about to be taken to court. Somehow the other party has been wronged, but there is still hope to resolve the situation before legal intervention.
Our emotions and attitudes can lead to positive or negative results. An offense against another person builds a fence between us and God. Not making a relationship right will only lead to further problems. Anger often leads to brokenness and hurt feeling. Jesus taught that we need to make the situation right and not let the situation grow worse. We cannot fix what the other person thinks, but we can fix things from our side by being agents of reconciliation. We are creatures of relationships. Anytime we come before God in worship, we are connected with the people around us. An old Chinese proverb went, if you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.
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