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Matthew 5:23-24

"If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

God cares how we treat others, especially other children of God. He does not accept worship from anyone who has done wrong to another and has not yet made it right. The greatest commandment is that we should love God with all our hearts and minds, but the second greatest commandment is that we should love our neighbors as ourselves (Mt. 22:40). The truth is that if we love God as we should, we will love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Even the Law of Moses was given to Israel so that they know how to live peaceably with both God and each other.

It is because God cares how people feel that Jesus warned us to make things right with a brother who has something against us before we offer any gifts to God. This injunction of Jesus is frequently misunderstood, however, by the humble children of God who love peace and want to please the Father. Jesus was warning us that if we have, in fact, harmed someone, then we should make right that unrighteous act before we worship God. He was not saying that we have to try to make people like us. There are ungodly people who may, at times, falsely accuse us of wrongdoing. In such cases, we cannot "make it right" because we never made anything wrong.

Pay careful attention to Jesus' words. He told you not to offer your gift to God if your brother "has ought against you". But a person cannot "have ought against you" unless you have actually done wrong to him. He can say he has ought against you; he can think he has ought against you; but he cannot really have ought against you give it to him; that is, unless you really have done him wrong.

By this commandment of our Lord, Jesus did not make us slaves to people with bad attitudes. He did not tell us to refrain from worshiping God just because someone doesn't happen to like us or just because someone makes an accusation against us. He only told us to postpone worshiping God if, when we come to worship Him, He brings to our attention a wrong that we have really done to someone. We are servants of God, not men.

In the event that we have wronged someone, it is very important that we repair the damaged fellowship with him before we approach God to offer Him a gift. Otherwise, Jesus warned, the wronged brother may talk to God about it, the righteous Judge, who may then turn you over to one of his many instruments of wrath until you have paid in full for the wrong you did your brother (Mt. 5:25-26).

Jesus' phrase, "having ought against someone" means that a wrong has really been done. It refers to that sense of injustice that is created by God in the breast of a person who has been wronged. And that God-given feeling of injustice will never leave the heart until justice has been served. We can repent and make things right with the wounded brother, and God will remove that feeling from his breast. Or we can refuse to repent and suffer our Father's displeasure. The feeling of injustice can be removed that way, too, when our wronged brother sees the chastening hand of God upon us.

It is not good for those we wrong to see us shouting and singing praises to God. Such a spectacle makes them less likely to repent than more likely. It can, in fact, turn their hearts against God, if they think He approves of your misdeeds. It is only when men see our good deeds that they think well of our God.

Do not ever humble yourself before someone just because that person claims you have done wrong. Trying to repent of a wrong you have not done produces confusion on every side. The Bible warns the upright not to "fall down before the wicked" (Prov. 25:26). I have watched immature saints struggle, sometimes for years, trying to make something right that they never made wrong. They wanted peace, but as long as the evil-hearted people around them knew they can manipulate those saints by accusing them of evildoing, they always found a way to make them feel guilty and make them crawl back to their footstools again. If you find that you have done wrong to someone, just say so, and make it right and then come back to the altar and worship your God with joy. But if you have not done wrong, don't ever allow any unclean spirit to make you its servant with false accusations.

It will happen that along the way, you go to a wronged brother and sincerely repent for what you did, but he refuses to forgive you. That is evil on his part, not yours. He has now wronged you! In such cases, you are still free to return to the altar, take up your gift, and worship God with joy. We are God's servants, not man's.

In conclusion, please notice that Jesus said to leave your gift at the altar only if it comes to mind at God's altar that you have done wrong, not if somebody just says so. If God brings it to your attention that you need to go visit a brother and make something right, then do it quickly. If a person tells you that you have done a wrong, move slowly. Take that to God. If he agrees with that accuser, then quickly make it right. If He does not agree, feel free to shout His praises to the highest heavens, even if the accuser stands in a corner, staring at you with a frown. In all things, we live by God's word, not by man's.