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“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Matthew 5:21–24

Growing Problems

It was a beautiful old home, well-kept and cared for. For reasons unknown to the neighbors a vine was allowed to grow up along the side of the house, snaking its way slowly up the antique wood siding. The neighbors asked the owner about it, but he brushed it off saying it was not a problem. Days passed, then weeks, months, and years. The vine continued to grow branching out across a whole side of the house.

Guests who came to visit, began to notice that mold had grown even on the inside of the wall. The remainder of the home was well landscaped, well decorated, clean, and neat, but the damage from the vine continued spreading. With ever growing concern people pled with him to remove the vine. They were now concerned not only for the home, but his health as well.

Then it happened, the owner woke up one day and looked over at the wall. He saw with a shocking realization the damage that was being done to his home. “What have I done” he said, in nearly a whisper as he closed his eyes tightly and then opened them wide to really take in the scope of the damage. With his new realization the owner immediately dressed to work, gathered the necessary tools and went outside to remove this threat to his home. It took him many days of hard labor to remove the vine that had grown to cover nearly an entire wall of the house. It then took many weeks to remove the rotten and destroyed wood and repair the devastating damage that had been done.

When he had completed the work, the whole house was again in excellent condition. He walked through the gardens on the outside and seeing a small vine just pushing through the ground he bent down and pulled it up. Never again would he allow a vine even the smallest chance to grow and damage his home again.

When someone has a problem with us it is like a destructive vine in our lives. If we ignore it, anger, bitterness, and resentment will begin to grow in our lives. It may start out a minor thing, but the longer it remains the more it will grow and the more damage it will do to our whole lives.

In Matthew 5 Jesus is addressing what to do when someone believes we have done something against them. In Matthew 18:15 He says, if someone does something against us we are to go to them. Whether we are in the wrong or in the right our responsibility before God is to Go and reconcile the broken relationship. If there is a relationship in your life that is strained because of problems that have not been dealt with, seek reconciliation today. Don’t wait until the vine of bitterness grows.