Day Sixteen
Matthew 5:33-37 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, 35or 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.
Somewhere back in my youth, this passage made a deep impression on me. I do not take oaths lightly. I never promise something that I might break. In my job as a foster care caseworker, I swore on a Bible that I would tell the truth. Even when I knew it would hurt the case, I told the truth. My job was to bring the evidence before the Judge, and it was the Judge’s job to weigh all that was said in that hearing. I knew by swearing that I was promising to tell the truth. This was a trait my mother remembered about me in her last days when she made me promise to care for her feral cats. I promised that I would, and I did not break that promise either.
That is not the norm in society. People make promises to children that they have no intentions of keeping. They make promises when they marry and often go into it knowing that they will not stay married. I remember one young woman who told that was her plan. She wanted a big wedding. She did what she said without any guilt for having given an oath before God to honor her marriage and her husband. Children are not taught anymore that their word matters. Everyone tells lies. But as my mother used to tell me, “Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t mean that it is right.”
Honor means integrity, decency, righteousness, principle, character and many other words. I want to be all of those things. I try to be all of those things, but I fail sometime. It is because I fail sometimes that I only make promises that I know I will keep.
Jesus knew that keeping an oath or a promise was important because it was a sign of someone who is trustworthy. He said to those sitting on the ground listening, and to those standing in the back. He also knew the nature of people that they often break their oaths and their promises. He begins, “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’”
Jesus is telling them what they have heard spoken in the synagogues and the Temple. Jesus audience wonders at this point what will be his point in bring this up. He continues, “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.”
He tells them that oaths should be avoided. I understand that completely. I witness over the years people who respected this by not swearing on the Bible before they testified. They instead would say that they affirm that they will tell the truth. Jesus is telling us that taking an oath is very serious, and that you should not do it because most of us do not have the conviction to keep our oaths or promises.
He gives them another way to do this, “Let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; and anything beyond these is of evil.”
I regretted the promises that I have broken. I know that what I did was wrong. It is why I am very careful about making them. Broken oaths and promises break trust between people. Relationships are damaged. Friendships end. Families fall apart. It is a deep betrayal, and it takes much effort to heal a relationship damaged in this way. Sometimes that trust is never restored. It is a rift that can be mended but will never be strong as it was before the betrayal.
Today’s Question:
How did you feel when someone broke a promise with you?
Ever in God’s Love,
Mary Elizabeth Todd
December 5, 2024
Ruhamah United Methodist Church Bible Verses 