"Leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly
while on the way to court."
MATTHEW 5:24-25
This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is teaching His disciples about the nature of righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees. He emphasizes not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law, extending the commandment against murder to include anger and insults. He also underscores the importance of reconciliation and settling disputes quickly.
20 Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. 21 “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. 22 But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” (Matthew 5:20-26)
"From the lips of Jesus, a truth unfolds, righteousness must surpass the scribes and Pharisees of old. 'Thou shall not kill,' so it was told, yet deeper wisdom, His words hold. Anger towards a brother, a judgment invites, a harsh word spoken, the Sanhedrin incites. 'You fool,' if said, to fiery Gehenna it ignites, in the heart, the battle of right and wrong fights. If at the altar, a gift you present, and recall a brother's resentment, leave your gift, let your steps be bent, first be reconciled, let your heart repent. With your opponent, make amends, before to court, the path extends.
Lest the judge to prison sends, pay the last penny, or confinement never ends."
Lord Jesus, we hear Your words, clear and profound, calling us to righteousness, to a faith that's sound. May our deeds surpass those of scribes and Pharisees so we may enter the Kingdom of heaven, find eternal peace. You remind us of the commandment, 'You shall not kill,' but extend it further, to anger that does ill. Help us control our anger, our words keep in check, lest we face judgment, our relationships wreck. If we bring a gift to the altar, and there recall, that our brother has something against us, however small, help us leave our gift, go first and make amends, then come and offer our gift, for love transcends. Guide us to settle with our opponent quickly, without delay, lest we be handed over to the judge, have a heavy price to pay for as You say, we will not be released until we have paid the last penny, Help us live in righteousness, in love, in harmony. In Your name, we pray. Amen.
This passage is a profound reflection on morality, virtue, and the consequences of our actions. It emphasizes the importance of righteousness and the potential for redemption. It suggests that a wicked person who turns away from their sins and does what is right and just will live, while a virtuous person who turns to do evil will die. God does not rejoice in wicked's end but cheer when they amend. If wicked hearts repent and fear, turn from their sins, God's laws obey, they shall live, not die. Their crimes forgotten, washed away, in virtue's light, they'll find their way. But if the virtuous lose their sight, and choose the wrong, forsake the right, their virtues lost, their faith denied, in their sins, they'll surely hide. It also raises questions about fairness and justice.
21 Thus says the Lord God: If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. 23 Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord God. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live? 24 And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die. 25 You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? 26 When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. 27 But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; 28 since he has turned away from all the sins which he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. (Ezekiel 18:21-28)
In the realm where virtue and vice collide, a proclamation from the Lord does abide. "If wickedness you shed and my laws you heed, in the book of life, your name shall indeed. Your sins forgotten, your crimes effaced, by virtue's practice, life embraced. Does pleasure, I derive from the wicked's fall? No, I rejoice when he heeds my call. But what of the virtuous, straying from light, embracing the darkness, losing sight? His virtues forgotten, his faith undone, for his sins, the virtuous one. When virtue to vice does capitulate, it's the iniquity committed that seals the fate but the wicked, turning from his past preserves his life, finds peace at last. Turning away from all sins committed, in the book of life his name is written for in repentance and justice found, life, not death, shall abound."
Lord God, we come before You, acknowledging our sins, we pray for the strength to turn away from them, to begin anew. Help us to keep Your statutes, to do what is right and just, that we may live, not die, in Your trust. May our past crimes not be remembered against us but let us live because of the virtue we practice. You take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rejoice when we turn from our evil ways, convicted. If we, the virtuous, stray from the path of righteousness, doing the same abominable things as the wicked, no less, help us remember that our virtuous deeds will not save us, if we break faith and commit sin, causing a fuss. When we turn away from virtue to commit iniquity, it's because of our sins that we face the penalty. But if we, the wicked, turn from our wickedness, doing what is right and just in Your sight, no less, we shall preserve our life, our spirit revive, for turning away from all our sins, we shall surely live, not die. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
This passage is a heartfelt plea for mercy and forgiveness, expressing deep trust in the Lord. It acknowledges human frailty and the impossibility of standing before God if He were to mark iniquities. Yet, it also speaks of God’s forgiveness, His kindness, and His redemption. It emphasizes the soul’s trust in God’s word and its patient waiting for the Lord, likened to a sentinel waiting for the dawn.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! 2 Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. 3 If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand? 4 But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered. ⁵ I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in his word. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn. ⁷ Let Israel wait for the Lord. For with the Lord is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; ⁸ and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities. (Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7, 7-8)
From depths profound, to You I cry O Lord above, hear my sigh. Your ears, O Lord, may they incline to this humble plea of mine. If You mark our sins, who can stand? But Your forgiveness is at hand. Revered You are, for mercy's sake, a refuge for those who partake. In the Lord, my trust I place, my soul finds solace in His grace. For the Lord, my soul does yearn, more than watchmen for dawn's return. Plenteous redemption is His gift, He will our burdened souls uplift and from our sins, we shall be free, redeemed in His love, eternally.
Lord, from the depths of our hearts, we cry out to You, hear our voice, let Your ears be attentive to our plea. If You were to mark our iniquities, who could stand before You? But with You, O Lord, is forgiveness, so that You may be revered. We place our trust in You, our souls find solace in Your word, like sentinels waiting for the dawn, our souls wait for You. Let us, like Israel, wait for You, Lord, for with You is kindness, and plenteous redemption. You promise to redeem us from all our iniquities, to cleanse us, to make us whole. In this promise, we find hope, we find peace. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Pericope:
II: The Proclamation of the Kingdom
TEACHING ABOUT THE LAW/TEACHING ABOUT ANGER
Matthew 5:17-20/21-26
II: Before the Siege of Jerusalem
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Ezekiel 18:1-32
Fifth Book of Psalms 107-150
PRAYER FOR PARDON AND MERCY
Psalm 130:1-8
Reflection Source:
Copilot with Bing Chat
