Oaths Series

SERMON ON THE MOUNT (OATHS)

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.

COMMENTARY

In this section, Jesus is dealing with oaths. Not with vulgar language. However, by making a solemn promise, affirming what you say is true. As a kid, 'cross my heart and hope to die' was the oath of choice to express that we meant what we were saying. As an adult, it may take the form of 'I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me, God.’

The expression that Jesus refers to here seems to come from a couple of places in the Old Testament. In Numbers 30:2, we find, "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." And Deuteronomy 23:21 says, "If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. "

(Matthew 5:33, NIV): 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.'

Matthew 5:33–37 continues a theme Jesus has been expanding in the Sermon on the Mount. The difference between righteousness and sin is not just a matter of following rules. It starts in the human heart. Here, Jesus attacks another way in which hypocrites would twist and abuse religious teachings. When Jesus speaks against swearing oaths, he is not referring to serious, formal commitments like marriage or a courtroom witness. He condemns those who use the language of oaths to disguise evil intentions.

Jesus continues to give one example after another, comparing what Israel's religious leaders have taught his hearers to God's true intent for the hearts of His people. His pattern is not to reject the words of the religious leaders but to show how their interpretations fall short (Matthew 5:20). The whole meaning comes as Jesus follows each statement by saying, "I say…."So far, He has given a deeper understanding of anger (Matthew 5:21–22), adultery (Matthew 5:27–28), and divorce (Matthew 5:31–32).

Now Jesus turns to the issue of swearing an oath. This is not about foul language. Nor is it a reference to solemn, formal promises, such as those seen in wedding vows or in a courtroom. Instead, Jesus is speaking of using God's name as a token to seal a promise. He is also speaking of the practice of adding some qualifier to our words to declare honesty—such as "cross my heart" or "I swear on my mother."

Numbers 30:2 describes it like this, "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." Under that understanding, someone might say, "I swear to the Lord that I will pay you back this money." Among Israelites, this has been considered contractually binding. It was also seen as dangerous: breaking an oath to the Lord was understood to bring severe consequences.

In practice, however, this concept became yet another loophole subject to abuse. In some cases, oath-breakers might argue that if God had meant the oath to be kept, He would have ensured it; therefore, the oath was never binding. Swearing by other things and places would have given the oath-taker even more wiggle room. This creates a broad opportunity for premeditated deceit. Israel's religious leaders may have made the problem worse by debating which oaths were binding and which were not. In the following verse, Jesus sets a different, more challenging standard for His disciples.

Matthew 5:34, NIV: But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne;

The previous verse contained Jesus' now-familiar phrase, "you have heard that it was said…" which is His way of introducing the common teachings of religious leaders. Jesus does not always contradict those teachings, but He does explain a more godly, challenging application. God expects His commandments to be taken much more seriously than as a tool for legalism and hypocrisy.