“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”
The Body
Jesus gives a specific, practical process here for addressing conflict, and the first step matters: go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. Not gossip to others, not silent resentment, not public confrontation, but direct, private conversation, the harder but more genuinely relational path toward resolution.
This corrects two common alternatives to genuine confrontation. One avoids the conversation entirely, letting resentment quietly accumulate while the relationship slowly deteriorates. The other bypasses direct conversation, discussing the offense with others instead of the person actually involved, which Jesus’s instruction here specifically does not describe or endorse.
Notice the stated goal: thou hast gained thy brother. This is not primarily about being right or winning a dispute. It is aimed at genuine restoration of relationship, gaining back a brother, which requires the direct, private approach Jesus specifies here, rather than public exposure or third-party discussion first.
Whatever offense you have been carrying silently, or discussing with others instead of the person actually involved, take Jesus’s specific instruction today. Go, and tell him, or her, directly, privately, aimed at gaining back the relationship, not merely being heard or proven right.
Strengthen the Body
- Name an offense you have been carrying silently or discussing with others instead.
- Go directly to the person involved today, privately, following Jesus’s specific instruction.
- Aim the conversation at gaining back the relationship, not merely being proven right.
Prayer
Lord, give me courage to go directly to my brother or sister, privately, rather than carrying resentment silently or discussing it with others first. Let me gain them back. Amen.
Carry this today
Direct, private conversation, aimed at gaining back a brother.