Matthew 5:33-37

C. THE WISE AND GODLY MAN IN RELATION TO THE LAW
4. HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD TRUTH.
TEXT: 5:33- 37

33. Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34. but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God;
35. nor by the earth. for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of -the great King.
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37. But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

a.

Why should one avoid the use of oaths as much as possible?

b.

What are some modern means of evading the responsibility for being truthful?

c.

How may we oppose the use of oaths which obviously profane the name of the Lord? What are some effective ways to react to another's profane swearing, in such a way as to register the solemnity in which we hold an oath. the majesty in which we revere God, the sacredness with which we regard every word, as well as our suspicion of all who feel that their feeble word cannot stand alone without the deception of a false oath? How may we do this so as to be truly helpful to him who swears habitually, casually, and thus, profanely? (Cf. Colossians 4:6) Self-righteous indignation will only close his mind.

d.

Why is it particularly important that Jesus-' disciple be careful about what he says?

e.

How does lack of sincerity profane God's name when invoked in an insincere oath?

f.

How does insincerity in swearing affect one's relations with others?

g.

How far should Jesus-' prohibition (Swear not at all-'-') be taken? Is it an absolute prohibition of all oaths, swearing, pledges, vows, etc.? Or is it relative, referring only to frivolous and hypocritical ones? Or both?

h.

HOW does the example of Paul and Jesus help us to understand whether we are permitted to swear?

i.

Is the taking of a solemn oath to assume a public office hereby forbidden?

j,

What is the relation of the teaching of Jesus to the Mosaic Law, as to how that relationship reveals itself in this context? Is Jesus abrogating the Mosaic permission to swear? Is He revealing a higher standard?

PARAPHRASE

Another thing you have heard that was said to the ancients was, -You must not perjure yourself by swearing falsely, but you must hand over to the Lord what you have promised with an oath.-' However, I tell you, do not use an oath at all. Do not back up your word by saying, -By heaven ,. .-', for that is God-s throne, or by saying, -By the earth. -', for that is His footstool, nor -By Jerusalem. -') for Jerusalem is the city of God, the Great King. Do not even swear by your own head, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black (to demonstrate the truth of your affirmations)! Let your word be a plain -Yes-' or -No.-' Anything beyond this proceeds from an evil desire to deceive.

SUMMARY

The Law of Moses required that men abide by that to which they bind themselves by their oath. Jesus counsels against all oaths as basically unnecessary when a simple affirmation is sufficient, as basically evil, when the desire is to deceive.

NOTES

I. THE SUBTLE SACRILEGE OF SPECIOUS SWEARING

Matthew 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time: Apparently, Jesus uses this formula to indicate that what He is about to say is not an exact quotation of any one law, but rather a correct summation of several laws. Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. The basic principle to which Jesus refers in this summary of the Mosaic legislation is the use of God's name to guarantee the inviolability of some promise made to Him, or to attest the truth of one's word by appeal to Him to witness. This principle responds to a psychological need of man for such guarantees:

1.

The inner truthfulness of the speaker cannot be verified on other grounds (except by his generally-known character).

2.

The assumption that no one would have the temerity to back a false statement by so solemn an appeal to the Deity as an oath.

3.

The prevalence of falsehood in common speech creates suspicion concerning all words not thus guarantee by an oath.

The Mosaic Law, in governing the use of oaths, regulated them negatively: Exodus 20:7 prohibited the employment of the name of God for unworthy objects, as in swearing in the ordinary business of life; Leviticus 19:12 prohibited swearing by the Name in order to cover fraud, thus profaning God's Name. It also governed oaths by positive regulations: Deuteronomy 6:13 commanded that oaths be made in the Name of God as evidence of loyalty to Jehovah on the same level with fearing and serving Him; Deuteronomy 10:20 commands oaths in His Name as a manifestation of true reverence towards God; Deuteronomy 23:21-23 teaches to pay what is vowed to God, lest the broken oath be considered sin; it is not sin if one does not vow; Numbers 30:2 requires any oath to be kept. Therefore, the Jews were permitted to take oaths in the Name of God, but He could not permit men to use His Name falsely or irreverently without punishment, God considered swearing as a necessary measure until men's false hearts could be converted and satisfied just to tell the truth without backing it up with oaths, In certain cases, the Law even required oaths (Exodus 22:11; Numbers 5:19).

For a fuller understanding of the use of oaths in actual practice, the following Scriptures may help: Genesis 14:22-24; Genesis 24:2-9; Genesis 24:37; Gen. 32:50, 53; Genesis 47:29-31; Genesis 50:5; Genesis 50:25; Judges 8:19; Judges 21:5; Romans 1:17; Romans 3:13; 1 Samuel 1:26; 1 Samuel 17:55; 1 Samuel 19:6; 1 Samuel 20:3; 1 Samuel 20:17; 1 Samuel 25:26; 2 Samuel 2:27; 2 Samuel 3:9; 2 Samuel 3:35; 2 Samuel 11:11; 2 Samuel 15:21; 2 Samuel 19:23; 2 Kings 2:23-24; 2 Kings 18:10; 2 Kings 2:2; 2 Kings 6:31; Ezra 10:3-5; Jeremiah 4:2; Jeremiah 12:16; Jeremiah 29:22-23; Jeremiah 38:16; Jeremiah 42:5; Amos 8:14, Note that a number of the examples precede the Law. Swearing was used in the commonest affairs of life, some trivial, However, such common swearing arises more from that religious attitude which reveals itself in every facet of life, than from a careless one. Originally, the oath was the truest, most natural expression of a man's conviction of a right awe of God. With the passing of the fervency of the convictions, there arises that contemptible familiarity with sacred things that is seen in frivolous, hypocritical swearing.

We should certainly expect to find NT examples of oaths rightly taken. God swore by Himself (Hebrews 3:11; Hebrews 3:18; Hebrews 4:3; Hebrews 6:13-18; Hebrews 7:20-21; Luke 1:73; Acts 2:3 O; Cf. Deuteronomy 32:40). Jesus confessed under oath to being the Christ, God's Son (Matthew 26:63-64). Paul often called God to witness to the truth of his affirmations (Romans 1:9; 2 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 1:20; Philippians 1:3; see also Acts 18:18). God will send His angel to sweat (Revelation 10:5-6). Thus, whatever Jesus may command in regard to swearing must be interpreted in light of these examples which throw light on how His word was intended.

Matthew 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all. What is Jesus-' intention behind this prohibition? To forbid all oaths, judicial and otherwise, or only common, profane wearing? Jesus is not giving a corrected interpretation of the Law, since, as we have seen, the Law commanded swearing by the Name of God. (Deuteronomy 6:13). His counsel, which requires such common truthfulness, soars so high above the concepts of the Law that even the oaths permitted therein would become unnecessary. Nor is He abrogating the legal permission until He establishes His kingdom of truth in the heart.

Jesus is not MERELY correcting scribal interpretations and evasions, although He does this. To illustrate the compelling need for His infinitely more satisfactory principle of personal integrity, He uses the abuses to which swearing, even ideally, is prone.

Jesus-' general purpose, running through this whole discourse on the nature of true righteousness, as opposed to legal righteousness, is to reveal a heart rectitude which is unconditionally and consistently observable in the simplest, outward acts. This injunction (Swear not at all.) is at least relative to the nature and motive of the oath. A solemn affirmation to convince those who are unable to know one's genuine, inner truthfulness, is permitted. Any oath or confirmatory additions to one's simple word are forbidden if intended to deceive the hearer, or if the user does not feel absolutely pledged to truth and faithfulness by his simple promise! What irony: those that need oaths are forbidden to use them, while those that can best use them do not need them!

Before examining the specific examples of the oaths which are proscribed by Jesus, let us see His wisdom in counselling His followers to steer clear of all oaths. Why should one not swear?

1.

Because of what human swearing does to God:

a.

It calls upon Him to be witness to, to justify, or to guarantee the truthfulness of relatively unimportant declarations. This borders on presumption.

b.

It often profanes His holy Name to the level that it becomes unworthy of respect, since it calls upon God to witness what is later discovered to be false. Those who call a curse upon themselves if what they say is not true, are daring God to act in a way dictated by their whim.

2.

Because of what swearing does to the one who swears:

a.

The necessity to guarantee the veracity of some declaration by means of an oath immediately puts in question the truthfulness of all other statements not made under oath.

b.

Swearing tacitly justifies lying when not under oath. since it destroys the sanctity of every word. We must not weaken the obligation for speaking the truth. by rendering our simple affirmation somehow less sacred than our oath.

c.

Because rash or wrong vows must be broken when inconvenient or impossible circumstances render their fulfilment absurd or illegal, they become a useless binding of the conscience. The failure to fulfil the vow or oath becomes a demoralizing kind of perjury, (See Leviticus 5:4-6) However, some promises must be broken (cf. Jephthah, Judges 11:30-34; Herod, Matthew 14:7), although the ideal is to keep an oath at one's personal damage (Psalms 15:4).

3.

Because of what swearing does to others: Careless, unnecessary, frequent and hypocritical taking of oaths practically destroys any respect for oaths and proceeds to undermine the highest bonds of faith and truth among men.

Swear not at all is Jesus-' criticism of all the perversions of God-s permissive legislation, created by the rabbis because they honored certain oaths and ignored other cleverly-worded promises they did not intend to keep. (See Matthew 23:16-22) Their sophistry had developed into the fine art of evasion! The obligation to honor an oath. according to their verdict, depended upon the nature of the object by which one swore: if they swore by something created, it was not necessarily binding and might be simply forgotten for convenience. If the oath was sworn by the dread Name of Jehovah God, the oath was binding. This mode of reasoning probably began simply to avoid pronouncing the Divine Name. Substitutes were put for God's Name which were understood to mean it, But sweating by something other than by God removed also the very awe for a God of truth and justice with which an oath was to be invested. Then, the corruption set in where men refused to honor certain specially-worded vows or promises. Thus, a superstitious show of carefulness for the Divine Name had corroded into sophistries that justified iniquity. The very substitutes for God-s Name became, by definition, not binding. Jesus exposes the fallacy: these non-binding substitutes are meaningless unless they have real reference to God. You swear by heaven, but that is God's throne (Isaiah 66:1)! You vow by the earth. thinking to avoid His throne, but that is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1)! You Cannot even swear by Jerusalem for it is His capital and the seat of His worship (Psalms 48:3; Psalms 48:8). Thus, there is no real way to keep God out of your smallest transactions. God is Owner of the universe and all in it, even the smallest part, yes, even the hair of man's head. You cannot even swear by your head, because God made that too and He alone possesses the power to make your hair white or black: mention even a hair in an oath and you automatically bring into the question the great Governor of the universe!

What are some modern examples which represent the same evasive reasoning of the scribes? The list could be as long and spiced as human history itself. Lord have mercy! Lord -'a-' mercy! or simply Lord. Mercy! Merciful heavens! or simply Heavens! are common blasphemy, because they are uttered as an unintended appeal to God for His assistance in a trivial difficulty. These, like My Lord; began as a sincere expression arising out of a deep religious consciousness, but they are degenerated, like Hallelujah! and praise the Lord! -'I, into meaningless interjections. God bless you or simply, ... bless you (after sneezes, of all things!) is just as vulgar in the mouth as God damn you! or simply -I... damn! or the adjectival form goddam(ned). ALL bywords, which are intended to bypass God-s Name but which usually bear the same initials and the same moral responsibility, are likewise condemned by Jesus. The dodge that such interjections are not swearing is invalid, as they would have no meaning otherwise. Such evasion smells of Pharisaic hypocrisy that whined, I did not use God's Name, but I swore by the Temple! The use of such interjections is indefensible on two grounds. First, they are usually used as emphatic explosions to impress the hearer with the sincerity or truthfulness of the speaker (Cf. Hell yes! You-'re damn-' right! Heavens no!), and as such partake of that nature of oaths from which most of them are historically drawn or for which they are lately substituted. Second, they, being thoughtless, do not reflect that sacred responsibility for every word spoken (Matthew 12:33-37) and may be judged as being more than the simple affirmation (or negation) required by Jesus (Matthew 5:37; cf. James 5:12). The exact terminology does not matter: if the interjection or additional confirming partakes of the nature of an oath but does not carry with it the solemnity of an oath. it stands condemned on the same grounds as the thoughtless, unintended oaths of the Jews.

II. THE SOLEMN SACREDNESS OF SIMPLE SPEECH

Matthew 5:37 But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay. Simply to tell the truth is quite adequate. The disciple of Jesus is not to honor his word merely because it is supported by an oath. but because

it is sustained by an integrity of character that will honor any and every commitment. (Study 2 Corinthians 1:12-23 for an excellent example of both personal integrity and oath-taking.) Blessed are the pure in heart, for their word is as good as their most solemn pledge. A man's personal integrity is but another word for the quality of his heart, But if the heart be basically false, dishonest, unjust and polluted, the mouth cannot but reveal that condition (Matthew 12:33-37). This man must resort to oaths to guarantee his affirmations, for what other assurance of his truthfulness could he present, if his generally- known lack of integrity could not support it?

Jesus is saying, Make your life so transparently pure that your simplest statement Is easily accepted as valid by your obvious sincerity. Live your whole life under oath! (Colossians 3:17) Make your simplest declarations in the full knowledge that God witnesses them and holds you accountable for them. Consequently, all your words must be holy and This may explain the frequent swearing of Paul (cited above). he was so profoundly obligated before God to tell the truth that he stepped into the witness-stand, almost without realizing it, by calling God to be his Arbiter.

Yea, yea; Nay, nay. Let your speech be exactly what it pretends to be. A yes should mean yes; no should mean exactly that. If you mean maybe or perhaps, then, avoid equivocation by saying so. Thus, one's plain words are pledged by all his character and religion. When a Christian speaks, everyone should know exactly for what he can be counted upon and where he stands. There can be no trick words or evasions which take away personal responsibility for what is said, in order to keep God out of the question. Whatsoever is more than these is of the evil (one). ALL such frivolous oaths and unnecessary supporting additions, even the necessity for vows, finds its basic origin in evil and the father of lies.

Why?

1.

Because oaths are usually required because of a habitual lack of veracity in the speaker and the common desire to obscure inconvenient or embarrassing truth.

2.

Because oaths are used in an evil society in which lying is common.

Christian participation in the common vice certainly will not hasten the day when all men will have learned merely to speak the truth. By this expression, Jesus does not intend to proscribe all oaths, for oaths themselves are not evil (see on Matthew 5:33), but He is merely admitting that His high ideal of personal integrity will not be sufficient always to allay the suspicions of others. James (James 5:12) gives another valid reason for speaking simply: lest you fall under condemnation.

III. SUGGESTIONS FOR SINCERE SWEARING AND SPEAKING

A.

If you must swear, swear properly. Jeremiah (Jeremiah 4:2) lists four characteristics with which any oath must be invested:

1.

Swear in truth. only attestation or support of what is really true. Never link God-s holy Name with what is false.

2.

Swear in justice, only in a just cause worthy of God-s Name, never lightly or rashly, but for a sufficient cause that actually requires an oath for confirmation to end the argument.

3.

Swear only in righteousness or personal integrity, never with intent to deceive by hypocritical piety and mock solemnity.

4.

Swear only by God-s Holy Name and by nothing else. If something is so important that an oath must be given, it is worthy of God's Name; if not, it is not important enough to merit an oath. To seek substitutes for His Name is evasive and hypocritical.

B.

If you would cure the habit of inordinate swearing:

1.

Seek a right knowledge of the majesty of a holy God who will not let go unpunished him who takes His Name uselessly.

2.

Reverence Him with all your heart, so that any wrong use of W s Name becomes a shock to your conscience. In a society where profane swearing is common, this shock gets dulled and must be continually sharpened by constant contact with God Himself.

3.

Live so sincerely and openly and so truthfully that no one would dream of asking you to give an oath to back up your everyday assertions. Dedicate your whole life to telling just the truth.

4.

Reserve your oaths, vows or swearing for the most solemn occasions.

C. If you would apply Jesus-' counsel to your own life, remember:

1.

Careless and thoughtless use of God's Name is all the more damnable because it implies that kind of selfishness which cares more for self than for God's holiness, The excuse that the oath is meaningless (I did not mean anything by it) carries with it a very serious confession that the speaker holds God in such contempt that he may throw around God's Name with impunity. Profanity is nothing but making common and vulgar (profane) what must be regarded with reverence,

2.

Exaggerated assertions which tend to lend a false impression are proscribed as inconsistent with simple, truthful speech.

3,

Idle or hypocritical promises, that ate not intended to be kept, are exposed as lying.

4,

Inattentive prayers, in which God is addressed but in which there is no real concentration of thought and in which the mind is allowed to wander over the entire range of immediate interests with only an occasional nod at God, are words which are as empty as meaningless oaths.

5.

Praying to be seen of men in order to deceive them into believing that he who prays is a man of extraordinary piety, when in reality he is like those whom he seeks to impress, is condemned.

6.

Mechanical prayers, which repeat words that once expressed fervent and real convictions but have since cooled into inattentive, indifferent and idle invocations of God's Name, may be avoided by returning to simple words that accurately represent one-s true sentiments.

To put it another way: Putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another ,., Let no evil come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:25; Ephesians 4:29)

FACT QUESTIONS

1.

What fundamental principle forms the basis of Jesus-' summary of the OT Law on swearing?

2.

Summarize the basic teaching of the OT on swearing.

3.

Explain the reasons why men require and give oaths.

4.

Give at least five examples of oaths in the OT, telling who gave the oath. what the oath was supposed to guarantee as true, and the formula used.

5.

List five NT oaths, telling who spoke under oath. what the oath was supposed to guarantee as true, and the formula used (if stated).

6.

What fundamental principle, essential to the very heart of Christianity, underlies Jesus-' advice to keep all speech simple, that is, without confirming affirmations such as oaths?

7.

Give one example of a Christian who maintained unfailing personal integrity, yet also bound himself under vows and oaths.

8.

God commanded Israel to swear only by His Name. By what process of reasoning did the Jews arrive at swearing by so many other things, to the point that they absolutely refused to name God's Name?

9.

What is the basic principle behind Jesus-' argument that swearing by heaven, the earth. Jerusalem, etc., missed the very point that the Jews aimed to reach by their circumlocutions?

10. Show how whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.
11. What are the basic rules for making a proper oath. according to Jeremiah? Are these rules helpful in our day?