I am a Jesus pusher!!! First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24). The call for reconciliation begins with our encounter with God. In the Old Testament setting, it was described as “bring your gift to the altar” (Matthew 5:23). In the New Covenant, it is the continual awareness of God’s indwelling presence and the source of such an indwelling. We are deeply aware of His sacrifice, and that is our inspiration for acts of worship. We can never forget! We did not come to Him; He came to us. When you realize your gift of grace and salvation, it is then you remember the difference you have with your brother. Without the preceding fact of grace, you can justify this division. After all, he offended you. You are the one hurt. He is wrong; he should come to you humbly and ask forgiveness. All these reasons are quite logical unless you are standing beside the crucified One!
Again, the call for reconciliation begins with your encounter with God. As you bring your sacrifice to God, your heart pounds with anxiety about acceptance. Will the sacrifice be adequate? We want to move from this Old Testament approach to the New Covenant view. My sacrifice for sin is adequate; it is Jesus. All the qualifications are met for me to dwell in intimacy with God, and they are met in Jesus! I am accepted and embraced; I now see my brother in this context! If I do not see the offense between my brother and myself in this context, I do not see the need for reconciliation with him. Jesus is speaking to me! I am a Jesus pusher!!!