HOW OFTEN DO YOU BREAK YOUR WORD?
HOW DOES KEEPING YOUR WORD IMPACT YOUR RELATIONSHIPS?
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:33-37).
BACKGROUND
Oath taking was a common practice in biblical days. Even in the Old Testament oaths were used by the prophets to demonstrate that they spoke with God’s authority. They used phrases like, “As the Lord lives.”
“There are two terms in Hebrew that mean ‘oath’: ’ālâ and šebû‛â. The latter, more general term meant in ancient times to enter into a solemn (even magic) relationship with the number seven. When Abraham and Abimelech entered into an oath at Beersheba (the well of seven, or the well of the oath), Abraham set aside seven ewe lambs as a witness to the fact that he had dug a well. The former term, ’ālâ, often translated ‘oath,’ properly means ‘curse.’ At times the two terms are used together. Any breach of one’s undertaking affirmed by an oath would be attended by a curse. The Lord affirmed that he had established a covenant and a curse with Israel, that is, a breach of covenant would be followed by a curse” — Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible.
Over time Israel’s religious leaders created guidelines around oath taking that were designed to let a person off the hook regarding false speech. If one swore by God, his oath was binding. But if he swore by the temple it was not binding and could be excused from fulfilling his word. This is the situation that Jesus addressed in this part of his discourse.
EXAMINATION
(V.33) “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.”
This is a reference to Leviticus 19:12 and other OT passages which says, “You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:12).
Right away we see that truth-telling is related to God’s reputation. The kind of people we are has a direct bearing on God’s reputation, not just our own. This is why, in Leviticus, lying is associated with profaning God’s name. Not fulfilling an oath, our word, is equivalent to lying.
(V.34) “Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God.”
WHY DO WE TAKE OATHS?
We swear oaths to make our word more sure when we want what we say to be more believable.
Jesus once testified in court under an oath. Matthew 26:63-64 says, “The high priest said to him, ‘I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so.’”
God also swears to make his promises more sure. “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.’ And thus Abraham,having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation” (Hebrews 6:13-16).
The Apostle Paul used an oath in I Thessalonians 5:27, “I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.”
These instances show us that oaths were a useful tool for communicating the seriousness of truth. So, what Jesus is referring to is frivolous oath-taking. Or taking oaths that will be excused. In fact, Jesus is referring to the practice of oath-taking performed by the religious leaders that was designed to keep a person from having to fulfill their oaths. If the oath wasn’t bound to God, then it wasn’t obligated to be fulfilled. But as we will see, Jesus regards all speech as tied to God.
(V.35) “…or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Interestingly, in Jewish practice, swearing by Heaven or Earth was not binding because swearing by them did not invoke God directly. Thus, a person could swear an oath and not have to keep it. Jesus condemned this.
Jesus addressed the religious leader’s practice of denying the validity of oaths later in this ministry. Listen to his words in Matthew 23:16-22.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.”
In other words, all oaths are spoken before God and thus must be fulfilled.
By using the references heaven and earth, Jesus is saying not to swear by anything in creation, for it is all God’s. Then he mentions Jerusalem, where his throne will be as he is the Great King. In the middle of it all, Jesus reigns supreme.
How many times have you heard someone say, “I swear by Jesus?” People usually say God, but not Jesus. Why is that?
“If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Numbers 30:2).
“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth” (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).
(V.36) “And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.”
First, Jesus says not to swear by Heaven or Earth. Then he gets down to something more personal: yourself. If you cannot change yourself, then how can an oath by yourself hold any value?
(V.37) “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
OATHS WOULD SEEM TO TESTIFY THAT A PERSON’S WORD IS MORE SURE. BUT IF THAT PERSON IS A KNOWN LIAR, THEN IS THEIR OATH ANY GOOD?
“When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent” (Proverbs 10:19).
“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation” (James 5:12).
James’ passage is nearly identical to that spoken by Jesus. This indicates that James knew of Jesus teaching on oaths and truth-telling.
If oaths come from evil, then how is God not guilty of evil when he swore an oath by himself?
The issue here is frivolous oaths, oaths given with deception or legal trickery in mind. We’ve already mentioned that swearing by Heaven or Earth was not binding. So, in this case, people play with the truth. But God swore to assure his hearers of the truthful nature of his promises.
When my children were young I would play jokes on them. If they suspected I was fooling with them, they would ask me if I was telling the truth. If I said, “As God is my witness,” then they knew I was telling the truth. Now, while my children learned to check for truth through this process, I also was using God’s name lightly, not reverently. I simply needed to be a person of truth. So, I stopped this practice, and now my kids know me to be a person of truth.
INTERPRETATION
So what is the big idea for this passage? I think it’s very simple. Be a person of truth. We must be people of truth even when we must give an answer to something that causes us embarrassment or shame. Our integrity is more important than our feelings. Our integrity is our reputation.
Our word, our truthfulness is also a part of representing God. Our integrity is supposed to be a reflection of God’s trustworthiness.
In Mongolia I told a pastor that our TV station would not interview a guest evangelist because his theology was aberrant. So, in an attempt to get around me he called my news director and told her that I gave permission to interview the evangelist. She told him, “No. Tom wouldn’t do that.” The pastor insisted but she told him no. When she told me what happened she asked me, “Is that the way you Christians do business?” Because of that pastor she viewed Christians as liars. That pastor was not a person of truth. His lie damaged our witness to our non-believing staff.
Do you have a reputation for truth?
APPLICATION
I’ve known Christians who sometimes struggle to tell the truth, even in their later years. They want to avoid shame. But the lie actually brings more shame later on. So here are some things we can do to become people of truth.
- Confess to God that you have a problem with telling the truth, for whatever reason. Ask the Lord to make you into a truth-telling person.
- Think of an embarrassing or hard truth that you have hidden. Go to a trusted friend or spouse and tell them that truth in secret, asking for prayer. This can be a first step in becoming more of a person of truth.
- When confronted in a difficult situation, determine to tell the truth.
- If you fail and lie or don’t fulfill your oath, then ask God for forgiveness and look for a new opportunity to tell the truth.
Now, there may be times when telling someone the truth may be harmful to that other person. In such cases it may be necessary to stay silent. Don’t lie. But also, don’t hurt the other person.
Oath-taking is a form of truth-telling. When you tell God you want to be a person of truth, you are actually taking an oath to be that kind of person. So take such a commitment seriously, as God will hold you to your word.
In the end, Jesus’ word on oaths is our most important application point. Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
