"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." - Jesus (Matthew 5: 33-37)
In the Old Testament, oaths were not condemned and in some cases even required. (Ex 22:10-13, Num 5:16-22) The problem came when the Jew began to think that some oaths were binding and others were not. Depending on what they pointed to in their oaths, some were to be kept in all circumstances, while others might be overlooked if need be. They would swear by heaven if it was something that they were intending to keep and as they intended less and less to keep the vow, they would reduce the value of the item mentioned... heaven, earth, Jerusalem and their own heads.
Jesus reminds them that heaven is His throne, the earth is His footstool, Jerusalem is the city of His King and even their heads are under His control so that everything that they might swear by is intimately connected with God. When they didn't keep a vow, they brought shame on their Father in heaven. Jesus tells us that while they had been taught not to "swear falsely", His teaching is that we are not to swear at all.
Why? His disciples were and are to have the distinction of being honest... always. His people had no need to swear to anything because everything that came our of their mouths was to be truth. If Christians tell the truth and are known for that, then those that hear them say something will know that they can rely on it. We are to answer plainly and truthfully in every circumstance. (2 Cor 1:17-24; James 5:12)If an individual always tells the truth, then oaths are unnecessary. Further, Jesus says that to take an oath with the intention of deceiving others is evil. Deception is from the devil, the father of lies. Jesus, on the other hand is called the "truth" and His followers were to imitate Him.
Is taking an oath always wrong? No. Jesus was using exaggeration to make a point to His listeners. We know that Jesus Himself answered under oath before the high priest in Matthew 26:63,64 and truthful oaths are found in the letters of Paul. (Rom 1:9; 1 Cor 15:31; 2 Cor 1:23; Gal 1:20) His point is that we should not need to offer assurances to others that what we say is true. I hear many people today say "Let me honest with you" or "If I am to be totally truthful with you" and it makes me wonder what to believe when they don't say those things. But, His disciples are to let their yes be yes and their no, no.
When a Christian is called upon to take an oath in a court room, they should raise their hands and do so. When a Christian is called upon to have someone witness a legal transaction, they should do so. Obeying the laws of the land is called for until that law conflicts with the teaching of God. In this case, it does not. The problem comes when we begin to use oaths as a way to convince someone that a lie is the truth. Speak clearly, speak plainly, mean what you say and say what you mean. That is what Jesus is calling on us to do. Truth? Truth.
Wise or Foolish?
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