I am a Jesus pusher!!! Throughout the Scriptures, the sacred duty of man to offer sacrifice to God is highlighted. Even the casual student of the Scriptures concludes that God prioritizes man’s worship. The Old Covenant focused on established ceremonies. Because God (the Trinity) sets these ceremonies in order, you must conclude they are necessary. God founded these priorities from the beginning of sin. One of the first acts of God concerning sin was the slaughter of an animal to cover man’s nakedness (Genesis 3:21). Evidently, the content and method of sacrificial offering matters to God! At the close of the Book of Exodus, the law of God is given, and the tabernacle is established. The Book of Leviticus gives details about the various offerings and feast days. The daily requirements of sacrifice, as well as the annual observances, are given. If this much space is given to such matters in the Scriptures, it is clear they matter to God!
The statement in our passage focused on Jews in the setting of the Old Testament ceremonies of sacrifice (Matthew 5:23, 24). However, the idea can easily be applied to New Covenant Kingdom people. Does it not seem absurd to you that a disturbance in my relationship with my brother takes priority over my worship of God? But Jesus said that when we are in the middle of these acts of worship and remember a division with our brother, our relationship with our brother takes priority. Leave the act of worship and seek reconciliation with your brother! My reconciliation with my brother demonstrates how much Jesus values others! I am a Jesus pusher!!!