Matthew 5:23 teaches that reconciling with someone you have wronged, or who has something against you, takes priority over bringing a gift to God. Jesus is saying that worship and relationship are tied together, and that a worshiper who knows a broken relationship is unresolved should go and make it right before offering anything at the altar. The words come from Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, spoken to his disciples and to the crowds who had gathered to hear him on a hillside in Galilee.
“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you…
Matthew 5:23 (WEB)
What Matthew 5:23 Means
The phrase “if therefore you are offering your gift at the altar” pictures a worshiper already in the act of giving to God at the temple. “And there remember” points to a sudden realization in that very moment, as if the person has just recalled a grievance or a wrong. “That your brother has anything against you” describes a relationship where someone else holds a complaint, which may or may not be the worshiper’s fault. The verse does not say the offended party is always right, and it does not promise that reconciliation will be instant or that the other person will respond kindly.
What the verse does say is clear: the worshiper is told to leave the gift and go. The instruction is practical and immediate, not a vague wish for better feelings. It does not forbid worship, but it refuses to let worship serve as a way of avoiding the harder work of making peace with a neighbor.
The Context of Matthew 5:23
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a community largely made up of Jewish believers, and it presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills and deepens the Law of Moses. In the verses just before this one, Jesus says that anger toward a brother, and even contemptuous speech, places a person under the same kind of judgment as murder. Verse 23 follows directly from that teaching, applying the principle to the practice of worship at the temple, which was central to Jewish religious life.
The verses right after Matthew 5:23 continue the theme with a picture of urgency: settle matters with an opponent while there is still time on the road, before the case ends in prison. Read together, the passage shows that reconciliation is treated as a serious matter with real consequences, and that God’s concern for human relationships is not separate from his concern for how he is honored.
Key Phrases in Matthew 5:23
Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
(WEB)
Paul’s counsel to live at peace with everyone, as far as it depends on you, widens the principle of Matthew 5:23 into everyday life. It acknowledges that peace is not always fully in our control, yet it still calls us to take the responsibility that is ours.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(WEB)
In the same Sermon on the Mount, Jesus links receiving forgiveness from God with extending forgiveness to others. This passage shows the same concern for relationships that Matthew 5:23 raises, placing reconciliation at the heart of a life shaped by God’s grace.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 5:23
Father, you see the places in my heart where I have held on to anger or let a broken relationship sit unresolved while I went on with my religious routines. Show me clearly who I need to contact, and give me the courage to take the first step without waiting for them to move first. Soften my pride and help me speak honestly and gently. Let my worship come from a heart that is at peace with the people you have placed around me. Amen.
