Matthew 5:33-37
Today, we will be back in our study of the Sermon on the Mount. After next week's message, we will be finished with chapter 5. We then have chapters 6 and 7 to complete to finish our study of this important teaching of Jesus Christ.
One thing I want to do before I continue is to give thanks to the Lord for His provision of the finances I needed to pay a very important bill. I didn't know where the money would come from, but the Lord provided enough work so that I had just what I needed. As you know, I've asked in recent weeks that you pray for me that the Lord would provide. The Lord has provided in answer to prayer, and I am very grateful. Thank you to everyone who interceded with the Lord on my behalf.
In last week's message, we took a one week hiatus from the Sermon on the Mount, and I posted a message based on Psalm 130. I think that the most important concept to remember from this Psalm is that the Lord loves us and wants to forgive us and answer us when we call upon His name.
Today, we begin with Matthew 5:33-34 where Jesus says, "Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But, I say to you, swear not at all."
Once again, Jesus is asserting His divinity and His superiority to the teachings of the past. In many places in the Old Testament there are teachings about taking and performing vows. However, Jesus changes this entire teachings as is His divine prerogative. Jesus tells us that we shall not swear at all. We should not swear by Heaven, by earth or by ourselves.
In these verses, Jesus is abolishing the entire practice of oaths. Jesus says in Matthew 5:37, "But let your communication be Yea, yea and Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
So, what is the point Jesus is making here? How does it apply to us today?
First of all, Jesus is saying that those of us who are His followers should be people of honesty and people who keep their word. If we say that we will do something, then we should do it. We should be people of absolute integrity. We should not have to swear on the Bible or anything else as a guarantee of the fact that we will tell the truth at all times.
I know that some Christian groups interpret this passage to mean that Christians shouldn't swear an oath on the Bible to tell the truth in court. They should simple affirm the fact that they will tell the truth. I agree on this point. Swearing on the Bible, in my opinion, would be a violation of this particular teaching of Jesus.
I think that there is a larger issue at stake with this whole concept of integrity and truthfulness that has important implications on the promotion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every time someone claims to be a Christian and then is found to practice dishonesty or they are not a person of their word, it affects that person's testimony and brings dishonor to the name of Christ. I believe that it is often a major factor in keeping some people from accepting the truth of the Gospel.
I'll give you an example from my own experience. After my Mom had her stroke, and my Dad and I were trying to take care of her at the house, we had to have several repairs done on the house. We hired some contractors who made much of the fact that they had a Christian owned and operated business. Sadly, they weren't people of their word. They didn't honor their quoted prices, and they often didn't do the work they promised to do. They also didn't perform quality work.
I told Dad that the next time I hired someone to work on the house I'd hire the person who didn't claim to be a Christian. Now, I've been a Christian for 40 years. If I felt this kind of negativity, imagine how a non-Christian would feel. It would not have made them consider becoming a Christian if those who claimed to follow Jesus lacked integrity.
A while back, I posted a message on Psalm 15 that listed what the characteristics of a righteous person are. One of those characteristics is that a righteous person keeps their word even to their own disadvantage.
I believe that this is the greater point that Jesus is making in this passage. Followers of Jesus' kingdom principles are honest, they do what they say they will do, they tell the truth and they have such a reputation for honesty that they don't need to swear an oath to prove it.
Next week, we will finish chapter 5. There are some controversial things to discuss in next week's passage. I'd like to remind everyone that I'm posting one chapter a week of my book about my friend Toby on Wednesdays. This week will be chapter 5. Thank you for reading the blog. May you know the presence of Jesus this week. Amen.
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