Saturday 23rd March
Read Matthew 5:33-37
“‘Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the oaths 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.” (NIVUK)
At the heart of the Pharisaical approach to making oaths was concern with the specific words, the formula so to speak, with which the oath was uttered. If the crafting of oaths was framed around the necessity to ‘not take the Lord’s name in vain’ (Exodus 20:7), rather than define what ‘in vain’ might mean, they simply avoid mentioning ‘the Lord’!
Jesus will have none of this. He makes it clear that no formula can avoid ‘the Lord’, for anything and everything in all creation is subject to Him. Heaven, earth, city, even down to the hairs on one’s own head, ultimately belong to Him (v34-35). There is literally no way to escape the requirement to speak honestly. For some this is a scary proposition indeed. For others it is a source of praise.
Which is it for you?
“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,’
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:7-12) (NIVUK)
