King James Bible
"Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
Jesus commands the worshiper to literally abandon their offering mid-ritual at the temple altar. This dramatic interruption of sacred Jewish worship practice underscores that something takes precedence over even religious obligations. The priority is restoring broken human relationships before approaching God in worship. The term 'brother' encompasses fellow believers and community members, emphasizing that horizontal relationships directly affect vertical worship. Only after reconciliation is the offering acceptable to God. This sequence reveals that authentic worship requires integrity in human relationships, making peacemaking a prerequisite for meaningful religious devotion.