“Leave your gift there before the altar”
Matthew 5:23–24
Cultural referenceSettledJesus
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23–24 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Sensible advice: patch things up before church.
The cultural key
The altar means the Jerusalem temple. For Jesus' Galilean hearers, complying literally would mean abandoning a sacrifice mid-ritual, walking three or four days home, reconciling, and walking back. The enormity is intentional, and it stands in the prophets' lineage: 'I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice' (Hosea 6:6).
Recovered meaning
A broken relationship outranks worship in progress, by a full week's journey. God would rather have your brother back than your gift.