EXPLORE IT - Matthew 5:33-37

Matthew 5:33-37  "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'  ³⁴ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne;  ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.  ³⁷ Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

You have heard it said…But I tell you – Again, Jesus continues by speaking into a teaching of the day that had gotten off track.  From the very beginning, with the Ten Commandments, we are told not to lie and not to swear falsely by God’s name (“’Do not lie. “’Do not deceive one another.  “’Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.’” Leviticus 19:11-12).  But by the time of Jesus, the teachers of the law had created so many rules around declaring oaths, there were now loopholes in telling the truth.

The Mishnah, the Jewish code of law, gave situations for when oaths were binding and when they were not.  For instance, if you swear by Jerusalem you do not have to keep your word, but if you swear toward Jerusalem, you are bound by your word.  The teachers of the law were focused on which formula to use if you intended to follow through, verses a different formula when you had no intention of completing your “commitment.”

Jesus is telling us that “formula” isn’t the concern.  If you say you’re are going to do something, do it; otherwise, don’t say you will.  Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.”  Jesus desires His children to be truthful – in everything we say.  This includes the stories we tell, the resumes we write, and the promises we make.  We are called to not just be consistent in our truthfulness, we are called to be constant in our truthfulness.

How truthful are you?  Do you outright lie?  Do you tend to stretch the truth to place yourself or your family in a better light or to make a story more dramatic?  Prayerfully seek God, asking Him to shed light on any untruthfulness in your words and actions so we can become an obedient, truthful people of God.

Blessings,
Pastor Amy