“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something 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.” (Matthew 5:23, 24)
The greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” All of us know that one. The second is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). We know that one too. Fine and dandy.
However, we miss the underlying point that underscores the second one. Loving our neighbor refers to loving unbelievers AND believers alike! Out of our pious benevolence, we never forget to love unbelievers to show them the love of Christ. But in looking too far, we overlook those who are closest to us – our own brothers and sisters in the Lord.
We go great lengths to show our love for God. We take pains to ensure that our love for unbelievers cannot be faulted. We justify ourselves by our devotion to God and our care for the needy. But we forget that loving our neighbors also means loving our brothers and sisters within the family of Christ itself.
By turning a blind eye towards the grievous sins or grudges we may hold against one another inside the brotherhood of believers, we are placing an obstacle on ourselves that hinders us from fully serving God. Taking pride at the sacrifices we make for God at the altar and being blameless before the community around us may be the best façades to hide the animosities that we may have within the brethren.
Matthew points out that making sacrifices to God while strife is evident among the family of God is not acceptable. The gift that we intend to offer to God must be left “before the altar”, even though it may look awkward and weird for it to be left there. People may stare, start to ask questions, and even wonder what is going on. But the bible tells us to go our way and “first be reconciled to your brother”. No matter how long or how hard that process of reconciliation takes, it must be done. And the gift must be left before the altar until reconciliation is made complete. When our relationship with that brother is finally restored, “then come and offer your gift.”
What an important principle this is when it comes to our service for God. God honors our sacrifice not only when we are right before Him, but also when we are right before man. We are called to be children of God. “If someone says ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20)
How often have we let strife among our brothers and sisters get in the way of our relationship with God? Our growth in service for God and fellowship among the saints can be perfected when we see the importance of our relationship among our brothers and sisters.
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