Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 5:23-24

"If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught 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." — Matthew 5:23-24 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: If it is not lawful to be angry with a brother, or to say to him, "Racha," or "You fool," much less is it lawful to hold in memory anything that might turn anger into hatred.¹

St. Jerome: It is not, If you have something against your brother, but If your brother has something against you, so that the necessity of reconciliation may be more imperative.

St. Augustine of Hippo: And he has something against us when we have wronged him, and we have something against him when he has wronged us. In the latter case, there would be no need to go and be reconciled to him, since we would only have to forgive him, just as we desire the Lord to forgive us.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But if he is the one who has wronged you, and yet you are the first to seek reconciliation, you will have a great reward.

St. John Chrysostom: If love alone is not enough to persuade us to be reconciled with our neighbor, the desire that our work should not remain incomplete, especially in the holy place, should motivate us.

St. Gregory the Great: Behold, He is not willing to accept sacrifice from the hands of those who are in conflict. Therefore, consider how great an evil strife is, as it throws away what should be the means for the forgiveness of sin.²

Pseudo-Chrysostom: See the mercy of God, for He thinks more of humanity's benefit than of His own honor. He loves harmony among the faithful more than an offering at His altar. For as long as there are dissensions among the faithful, their gift is not regarded and their prayer is not heard.

No one can be a true friend to two people who are enemies to each other at the same time. In the same way, we do not maintain our loyalty to God if we do not love His friends and hate His enemies.

But the reconciliation should match the offense. If you have offended in thought, be reconciled in thought; if in words, be reconciled in words; if in deeds, be reconciled in deeds. For so it is with every sin: in whatever way it was committed, in that same way the penance is done.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: He bids us, when peace with our fellow human beings is restored, to then return to peace with God, moving from the love of people to the love of God: Then go and offer your gift.

St. Augustine of Hippo: If this instruction is taken literally, it might lead some to suppose that it should only be done if our brother is present, since it cannot mean a long time when we are told to leave our offering there before the altar.

For if he is absent, or perhaps across the sea, it is absurd to suppose that the offering must be left before the altar, only to be offered after we have traveled over land and sea to find him.

Therefore, we must embrace an inner, spiritual meaning of the whole passage if we want to understand it without any absurdity. The gift we offer to God—whether learning, speech, or anything else—cannot be accepted by God unless it is supported by faith.

If, then, we have harmed a brother in any way, we must go and be reconciled with him—not with our physical feet, but in the thoughts of our heart. In humble contrition, you can cast yourself at your brother's feet in the sight of Him whose offering you are about to make.

In this way, as though your brother were present, you may seek his forgiveness with a sincere heart. Then, returning from there—that is, bringing your thoughts back to what you first began to do—you may make your offering.

1. Serm. in Mont., i, 10
2. Hom. 1 in Ezech. viii. 9