“It’s true! I swear!” We’ve all heard such statements, and have perhaps made them ourselves. But in today’s passage, Jesus urges us to examine what we are really saying – and why we say these kinds of things.

Now, the ancient Pharisees were most clearly in Jesus’ crosshairs. They refused to swear by God’s name, because they knew that breaking such an oath would be a terrible sin. But they insisted that it was perfectly alright to swear by heaven, or by the earth, or by the Temple, because if they broke what they considered to be a vow of much lesser importance, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. In short, they were trying to find some wiggle room so they could continue to encourage people to believe things that were not, in fact, true.

And don’t we Southern folks do the same kind of thing? Of course, we are known for our elaborate politeness, but it isn’t always genuine, is it? For don’t we say, “Bless your heart,” even to those we have no intention of blessing? Don’t we say, “Y’all come see us,” to folks we really don’t want to come over? And because we make a habit of saying so many things that we don’t really mean, we often find ourselves needing to add extra emphasis when we want others to believe us: “I swear that what I’m saying is true – this time!”

So, maybe we Southern Christians need to take another look at these verses. For here, Jesus explains that anyone or anything by which we might be tempted to swear is nothing more than a creation of God Himself, and thus a reflection of His glory. And that means that, whenever we use any kind of oath, we are dragging God into our attempts to persuade others to believe our lies or half-truths.

So, how should we speak to one another? So plainly and truthfully that our “yes” will always be taken as a “yes,” and our “no” as a “no.” For could there be any other way to live if we want to remain faithful to the One Who not only speaks truth but Who is the truth (John 14:6)?

Matthew 5:33-37 (NASB)

33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
34 “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36 “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
37 “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; and anything beyond these is of evil.