Seeds for 05/25/2023 - Matthew 5:33-37
Scripture: 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Observation: Giving and keeping our word matters. Some Christian groups have taken this passage very literally and been exempted from swearing oaths, allowed to use the language of “affirm” instead of “swear.” Most Christian groups have not forbade swearing an oath in official capacities, such as a courtrooms. What’s going on here? What do we observe?
Jesus begins, as usual, by contrasting with, “you have heard it said… but I tell you…” In this case Jesus says not to swear an oath at all, instead of following the command not to “break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.” This seems strange. He goes into a set of rationales that are not obvious to me. The key seems to be in the last verse: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (emphasis mine)
This suggests that all that extra stuff—swearing an oath by heaven, by earth, or by Jerusalem, or by my head… or on my grandmother’s grave or whatever else we conjure up—is not only unnecessary, it gets in the way of giving our word with integrity. So much extra window dressing suggests that our ‘Yes’ can’t stand alone on its own two feet. We need not prop it up. We need only give it well.
A few years ago, a definition for the word integrity was pointed out as useful in this context. We think of the term integrity as referring to honesty and morality, and that’s not wrong. But it is incomplete. The word integrity is also used in a building context, as in structural integrity, the capacity to hold itself together well and bear a load.
This turns out to be an excellent metaphor for giving our word. Propping up implies weakness and vulnerability. If we build the habit of giving our ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ with thoughtfulness, then we’re building something with the structural integrity to bear a significant load.
Application:
When it is challenging to make your ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ thoughtful?
Why are we tempted to give our word hastily?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, grant me such calm and conviction of mind and heart that I might give my word thoughtfully and with integrity. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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