Sunday 24th 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)
Jesus’ response to the nit-picking way in which oaths were either upheld or broken was to always speak with integrity. A simple yes or no. Yet it is rarely that simple! Some have sought to interpret this as literally as the Pharisees and refused to swear in court or testify to anything! The irony of their position completely lost on them… The apostles on the other hand frequently declared the truth with an oath, clearly not taking Jesus literally but understanding His intent.
Jesus’ intent is that we be people of integrity and truthfulness in all things. Hard as that may be. Our challenge is that much more difficult because today it is considered almost normal to declare your own ‘truth’. A ‘truth’ which no one has the right to gainsay. This insidious development makes ‘lies’ obsolete. Screwtape would be incredibly proud indeed. Lies are now legitimate expressions of individual ‘truth’. This is perhaps why Jesus seeks simplicity in the approach of those who follow Him, because anything else truly does come from evil.
The path is indeed difficult, but we follow One who has walked it before and lies and deceit were far from Him…
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 ‘He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.’” (1 Peter 2:21-22) (NIVUK)
