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Sermon on the Mount: Taking Oaths – Matthew 5:33-37

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Taking an oath

“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.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37 NIV

In this section, Jesus is dealing with oaths. Not with vulgar language. But with making a solemn promise, affirming that what you are saying is true. As a kid, ‘cross my heart and hope to die’, was the oath of choice to express that we really 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 Old Testament and Oaths

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.

Neither of these passages tells us that we should make vows or oaths. But when we do, we need to be careful to follow through. This is especially true when the vow is made to God. Or when we invoke his name when we make the oath. But even if we do not, we are expected to follow through.

The Art of Oath Making

I understand that the Jews of Jesus’ day were frequent oath-makers. And that their oaths were often very elaborate. But these elaborate oaths were often quite deceiving. In Matthew 23:16-22 Jesus returns to this topic of oaths. And in this passage, we find something more about this habit of deceptive oath-making.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

Matthew 23:16-22 NIV

When I was a kid making promises to other kids, crossing my fingers behind my back negated anything I might actually be saying. And that is just what Jesus accuses the Pharisees of doing here. If your oath did not include some key phrases, it was not binding. You could promise anything you wanted. And so long as you did not include the magic words, your promise meant nothing. I’m sure that was in Jesus’ mind as he talks to his disciples, and the crowd, in this teaching.

Just a Simple Yes and No Will Do

If I am known as a person of integrity, a person who always keeps his word, then elaborate oaths are unnecessary. It should be enough to let a simple ‘yes’ suffice to make a commitment. My yes, and no, should be sufficient. Anything more than that would be an indication that I may not be quite trustworthy.

This then raises the question about taking an oath when testifying in a courtroom. As followers of Jesus, what should we do in that, or a similar, situation? I think when we really consider what is happening there, it is not a problem. We are being asked if we will be truthful. And our response is a simple ‘yes’, or ‘I do’. And that, I believe, is fully in line with what Jesus has had to say here.

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Ed Jarrett

Just an old clay jar that God continues to see fit to use in his kingdom's work. I am retired, married with 2 children, and 4 grandchildren. I have followed Jesus for many years. And I love to share what He has given me from His word.

A Note to Readers

The views expressed here are solely mine and do not necessarily reflect those of any other person, group, or organization. While I believe they reflect the teachings of the Bible, I am a fallible human and subject to misunderstanding. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions about this post in the comments section below. I am always interested in your feedback.

2 thoughts on “Sermon on the Mount: Taking Oaths – Matthew 5:33-37”

  1. I respectively disagree. I don’t believe as a Christian that we should take an oath whatsoever. As Jesus stated do not swear on an oath AT ALL: either by heaven or earth. By putting your hand on the bible and promising to tell the truth and nothing but the truth is beyond a yes or no therefore it comes from the EVIL ONE. It’s totally disrespectful to Jesus, the passage, and the Christian for making them swear on the very bible that Christians rely on and it perverts and inverts the very message of Jesus’s word on oaths. Jesus says do not take oaths yet the court has people swear on the very Bible that is Jesus’s word? Again that is BEYOND a simple yes or no. They are telling you to put your hand on the Bible and swear on it, which is an act of symbolism strengthening the oath. That can’t be right, right? Am I off or am I telling it like it is? The holy spirit is telling me that I am right in my discernment. I’ve obviously read your opinion about the topic but I’d like you tell me if you have any further opinions about it and of course my former questions…

    Reply
    • First of all, if you feel that it is wrong, you should not do it, regardless of what I say. I do believe this falls into the realm of disputable matters that Paul talks about in Romans and 1 Corinthians.

      But in response to your question, I do not believe that putting your hand on a Bible and promising to tell the truth was what Jesus was concerned about. When I was a child, we used to say “cross my heart and hope to die” when we were promising something or claiming that something was true. But if we had our fingers crossed behind our backs, it did not count. Some of the Jews in Jesus’ day did similar things. What Matthew 23:18 tells us is that some people would say, “I swear by the temple that what I say is the truth”. And that was like having your fingers crossed behind your back, and your promise was not valid. But if they said, “I swear by the gold on the temple that I am telling the truth”, then the fingers were uncrossed and what they said really was true. It was essentially a way to appear to be truthful when you were actually being deceitful.

      When I take an oath in court, or my marriage vows, or when I joined the military, my response was simply “yes”, or “I do”. There was no finger crossing involved. My yes really meant yes. And I believe that is what Jesus was telling us there.

      Reply

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