"therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. first go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
matthew 5:23-24
i think it is safe to say that all of us, at one time or another, have experienced a broken relationship. as hard as we try, and as good as our intentions are, our sinful nature has the ability to weaken or even destroy even the best of relationships. sin creeps in, getting the best of us, and it attacks the relationship at the weakest points. until there is reconciliation, the relationship will remain strained or completely broken.
matthew offers us Jesus' teaching on anger, on brokenness. we may not offer gifts at the altar, but we offer our bodies as living sacrifices in true worship to God. Jesus teaches us that if we have a relationship with someone that isn't right, we must reconcile that first and then come to worship. i know what you are thinking. we are supposed to worship God all day, every day with our lives. in other words, Jesus is telling us that we must not delay the reconciliation, but work it out immediately.
we think to ourselves, it isn't that easy. we compose a list of "what if's" in our head and they become excuses to procrastinate. i know for me, i have gone months with relationships remaining broken. some of the "what if's" that stop me include: what if she hurt me too? what if she refuses to accept my apology, or simply doesn't care? what if words fail me and i can't express myself right?
Jesus's teaching is simple and clear. be reconciled to that person. confess what you did. express appropriate sorrow. make restitution.
Lord, show me where i have hurt others. help me to swallow my pride, die to myself, and be reconciled to the person i have hurt, so that i may offer my life as a living sacrifice.
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