We all have seen crime scene television shows such as Law & Order, Boston Legal, and Matlock. In some episodes there are court scenes where we see a witness approach the stand and say the age old saying, “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth…” We have seen actual cases over the years where people have been charged with perjury because they took this oath, and then lied (Bernie Madoff, Marion Jones, and Jeffery Archer). This has become the norm, that we now hold a certain skepticism (oath or not) to almost anything we hear or read. After all, words are easy! Whether it is the son asking the father to use the car and while doing so he promises not to crash it, scratch it, or get it dirty; the husband that goes out with his buddies and swears to his wife he won’t drink too much; or the child who pinky swears and then crosses their heart and hopes to die… Oaths have common in our culture. But what does that say about the trustworthiness of our words?
In James 5:12 we are told that “above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”
James instructs us not to use oaths because he does not want us to fall under condemnation if we break our oaths. If we look at Numbers 30:2 it states “if a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” Making oaths is not a sin; however breaking an oath is. Jesus takes this command in Matthew 5:33-37 even further!
“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 wants us to be truthful with everything we say. He desires that what comes out of our mouths is pure and righteous, not defiled and evil. When we lie, that is evil. When we speak against a brother, that is evil. When we break oaths, that is evil.
In the television show Lie to Me* there is a character with the name Eli Loker. In the first few episodes he is practicing something he calls “radical honesty.” He will tell you the truth of everything you ask for and everything that is going on in his mind. For example Loker meets his new co-worker Ria Torres and one of the first things out of his mouth is “I have no chance with you.” That is pretty radical and if it happened to you it would be a little awkward. Jesus isn’t calling for “radical honesty,” he’s calling for honesty. Jesus wants our words to not be lacking but truthful.
It is difficult to live the way Jesus wants us to and I believe we all can agree with that. Last week I made an oath with my sister saying I’d pay her back $10 for helping me out. It’s difficult to change our habits and move away from comfort. I’m asking you to imagine a world where Christians by their trust change the world. We would see a rise in business, morale, and in the church. Imagine going into work and your boss gives you opportunities you never would have imagined because of your honesty, because your “yes” meant yes, and your “no” meant no. Imagine if when you asked your kids to clean their room they said “yes” and it was done, just imagine the improvement of family life. Imagine how many lives for Christ could be changed because of our commitment to serve, always making our “yes” yes, and our “no” no.
Look up 2 Timothy 2:15-16. Do you live up to the characteristics Paul describes?
What are some things in your life that would help you make a change toward truth?
