Flippant Commitments
“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
Jesus is not saying that making an oath is inherently sinful or always wrong. God himself made an oath with Abraham concerning his promises of blessing (Heb 6:13-18). Further, Jesus responded when called to answer under oath (Matt 26:63-64). The Old Testament law prescribed for an oath in certain circumstances (Num 5:19, 21; 30:2-3). This is not a categorical absolute against ever taking an oath under any circumstances. I have encountered people who said they would refuse to take an oath in court so they would not violate this passage. This is not the intent of what Jesus is addressing here.
Jesus is addressing the flippant, double-speak of the religious leaders and their followers. Much like the child who makes a promise then later says, “I had my fingers crossed,” the religious leaders had found ways to leave “loopholes” in their vows. They would not swear to God, but they would swear to the throne of God, they would swear to heaven or earth or Jerusalem then say that those vows didn’t count because they were not swearing directly to God. Jesus reminds us that God is Lord of heaven and earth. He owns everything in it so to swear by heaven or earth or Jerusalem is to make a solemn vow to the Lord.
Further, these rascals who were making these vows did so because they had no intention of keeping them but wanted to trick others into thinking they would. Their character was so much in question they would have to make vows for others to even consider the possibility that they were telling the truth. In our country we have laws and regulatory commissions to investigate medical claims because there are so many people out there willing to make a fast buck on fantastical claims about certain elixirs and potions. They can keep you young, cure joint pain, give you the energy of a twenty-year-old, and give you a good night’s sleep. Back in 1986 there was a Vicks Formula 44D commercial that had a famous soap opera actor, Peter Bergman, advertise their medicine by stating, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” Today we just put a white coat on a person and put him in a laboratory and he can make all the claims he likes about his product. They are very careful to not cross the line while trying to trick as many people as they can!
Jesus says we are to be men and women of our word. We mean what we say, and we say what we mean. We don’t have to make oaths or promises, we don’t have to swear to heaven or earth, because we are people of integrity. I recall watching a politician who backtracked on his previous statement by saying, “My previous statement has become inoperative.” Translation: My lie is no longer working. We obfuscate. I like that word because it does the very thing it says. We make things unclear and muddied so we can trick people into thinking we mean something we don’t. One of my favorite stories when I was a child was the Dr. Suess book turned into a cartoon, “Horton Hatches an Egg.” Horton gets tricked into sitting on an egg for the lazy bird Mayzie who just wants to go off and party. It is difficult and Horton faces ridicule and horrible conditions. Each time he replies, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant…An elephant’s faithful One hundred per cent!” In a childhood way he is communicating a profound truth, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil (or the evil one).”