TEXT: MATTHEW 5:33-37
LISTENING TO THE TEXT
The tendency toward deceitfulness is as natural to the
human race as breathing. The Old Testament roots of deceit occur first
in the Fall, and again in the ninth of the Ten Commandments: "You shall
not give false testimony against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).
The
language of that commandment connects it to the judicial processes of the
covenant community. Scripture is making clear that lying is not just an individual
issue. It not only affects the one who deceives but powerfully impacts the
health of the whole community. When we lie, we don't just hurt ourselves;
we hurt our relationship with God, we hurt our families, our neighbors, and
our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Telling the truth was so important in the life of Israel that there were serious penalties for giving false witness in court. There were even consequences for refusing to give witness in court when you had information about a particular person or case. Israel recognized that the very health and vitality of their community, even their nation, relied on the character of their people, and their commitment to be truthful in all their dealings. Consequently, the word of witnesses was authoritative (1 Kings 21:9-13).
Now Jesus goes even further as He begins to talk about the giving and receiving of oaths. The Old Testament context concerning the giving of oaths had two prongs. The first prong had to do with guaranteeing the truth by swearing on the appropriate person or place. For example: "I swear on the life of my firstborn son that I'm telling the truth." And in so doing that person was guaranteeing that they were genuinely giving a true statement.
The second prong was the guaranteeing of a promise. Again, an oath would be declared on something that a person was promising to do or not to do. And so one might say, "As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel lives, I will never harm your family." And in so doing they were guaranteeing that the promise they were making would be carried out.
The first had to do with a person's honesty and the second with a person's faithfulness to keep a promise. The faith of Israel made it clear if you made a statement or a promise and you backed it up with an oath, then not to follow through with that was to break covenant.
Into that context Jesus comes up with a whole new arrangement. Jesus tells His disciples not to make oaths at all. Jesus' followers do not prove their honesty by declaring an oath. Likewise, they do not make promises by having to swear by something to validate it. Instead, He says, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37).
An interesting shift is taking place. While the Law assumes that dishonesty is a given and forbids swearing a false oath, Jesus forbids the use of any false word at all, commanding total honesty in human relationships. Why? Because it is God's will that people be absolutely truthful in their words and faithful to their commitments, and where that kind of truthfulness and faithfulness are present, nothing can be enhanced by oaths of any sort.
Having to swear on anything other than one's word simply raises suspicion about the depth of a person's commitment to telling the truth and keeping promises.
ENGAGING THE TEXT
The Need
We live in a world where a person's word doesn't mean much. Truth seems
to be a virtue in short supply. Honesty has become a commodity to be used
when it is of benefit to us. But Jesus calls His disciples not to be those
kinds of people. In the following of Jesus we are called to be "truth
speakers and promise keepers."
God's Answer
God's answer is again to be found in the kind of people He has called
us to be. Christ followers find not only their example for living in Jesus
but also their empowerment for living from the Spirit of Jesus. Therefore,
all that a Christian promises, they promise with integrity and faithfulness.
Everything a Christian says, they say with honesty because anything less
would deny the very One we seek to follow.
Truthfulness is not about making oaths and swearing on a stack of Bibles, because honesty can't be coerced. Truthfulness comes from the heart. Integrity of heart is not developed nor sustained by trying hard to be good and honest people. That kind of character and integrity is a work that only God can accomplish in us. Heart integrity involves a transformation; heart honesty involves a cleansing. There is a purification of heart that is needed that can only be accomplished through the work of Jesus Christ in us.
Our Response
Whenever honesty breaks down in Christian community, community falls apart.
Therefore, a Christian's words are to be "Yes, yes," and "No, no." Christians
are called to tell the truth no matter the circumstance. Christians are
called to keep promises because we follow Jesus Christ and we are kingdom
people.
When a Christian says, "I will be there," the Christian will be there. When a Christian says, "yes," the Christian means "yes." When a Christian joins a group or enrolls in a course or accepts an invitation, they are faithful and committed. "Yes" means "yes." "No" means "no." No double-talk or slippery speech for the Christian.
In summary, a Christian's speech is to be characterized by the twin features of simplicity and honesty. Honesty leads to simplicity, because the more sincerely we speak, the more simply we are able to speak, and others will learn to believe that our word is our word.
PREACHING THE TEXT
The preacher could begin this sermon with the popular courtroom phrase:
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help you God?" Using these familiar words, the entire sermon
could be built around the reasons oaths exist in our world.
Another possible angle is to examine the reasons why we distort the truth and the ways we distort the truth. Identifying real-life situations where even the Christian is tempted to hedge the truth for personal gain will be beneficial to the growing Christian.
Make clear that the new righteousness of Jesus commands that whether we stand in a courtroom and "swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God," or not, when we follow him, by the very nature of who we are as the people of God, we are "swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help us God." We are called to be truth speakers and promise keepers.
The sermon could conclude by inviting the congregation to join together in a covenant of honesty and integrity by reading Psalm 19:14 responsively: "May the words of [our] mouth[s] and the meditations of [our] heart[s] be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, [our] Rock and [our] Redeemer."
