Matthew shared how Jesus was “baptized” and “tempted” by the “devil”, and he shared how “angels” ministered to Him afterward. Jesus heard that John the Baptist was thrown into prison, and He left His hometown to dwell in “Capernaum” where He began His ministry. Jesus began to preach saying, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, and He called Peter, Andrew, James and John to be His followers. Matthew continued to share how Jesus' fame spread throughout Galilee, and many others were gathered unto Him. Matthew continued by sharing how Jesus taught concerning the “beatitudes” of the “Kingdom of Heaven”, and He said, “You are the salt of the earth … and the light of the world.” Jesus told His disciples, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus then began to give examples of why it is necessary to “exceed” the righteousness of the Pharisees by saying, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, you fool, shall be in danger of hell fire”, and in chapter five and verse twenty-three of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus shared, “if you bring your gift to the altar … and remember that your brother has ought against you” where we read:
Therefore
if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there remember that your brother has ought against you;
The verse reads, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar,” Matthew began with the word, “therefore” which means “then, accordingly, consequently and these things being so” “if you bring” which means “when and in case the disciples carry, offer and present” “your gift” or “the disciples' offering, sacrifices and treasures” “to the altar” which means “to the altar for slaying and burning of victims”. Jesus referred to the times when people “carry” their offerings to the “altar of God”.
The verse continues, “and there remember that your brother has ought against you;” Matthew added the words, “and there remember” which means “and at the altar recall and are mindful” “that your brother” which refers to “the disciples' fellow believer which is united to another by the bond of affection” “has ought” which means “has a certain thing or somewhat” “against you” or “down from, through out, according to and toward the disciples”. Jesus referred to the time at the altar when a disciple of Jesus “remembers” that someone has wronged them or they have wronged another person.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus mentioned the times when His disciples would bring their “offerings” to God's altar. While giving to the Lord, they may remember a person who is offended by them or whom they have offended. When this occurs, the disciples of Jesus were instructed how to act. God desires a relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and when they follow after His ways, there will be times of offense in the past that they will remember.
Next time Jesus declares, “leave your gift before the altar … first be reconciled to your brother”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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