5:29 What does "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast if from thee," mean?

5:23-24 Who does “brother” refer to, and what exactly is Jesus telling Christians here?

Brother here refers to one of the same nature; fellow man, whether biologically related or not, or whether in Christ or not. It denotes another member of the human race (cp Mt 7:3; Lk 10:25-37; Ac 17:26).

Jesus is telling Christians here that before they can commit any sacrificial gift to God they must first make good anything outstanding against them by anyone else.

This is God’s law on restitution. God does not want Christians’ gifts until they have resolved all matters that are outstanding against them. Gift refers to anything offered to God (cp Mt 8:4; 23:18-19; He 5:1; 8:3-4; 9:9; 11:4).

5:25-26 See comments on Lk 12:58-59.">5:25-26 See comments on Lk 12:58-59.

Back to Matthew Study