A Simple Yes

Greeting

Isaiah 2:3 ESV

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.

Welcome to the Baker Heights Church of Christ, a family of imperfect people trusting God to make up our shortcomings. We are blessed to gather to worship the perfect God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To our visitors, we say thank you for joining us. Please hit that QR code in front of you and connect with us. Let us know what’s on your mind.

Grabber

After Judas betrayed Jesus, our Lord was subjected to false accusations, mockery, cruelty, and injustice. At Caiaphas’ house, Jesus was in the midst of a sham trial, and Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and was accused of following Jesus. Peter denied it three times, each time escalating his answer. First, he lied saying, “I do not know what you mean.” The second time, he denied it with an oath. The third time, “he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man.’”

With the frustration of each accusation, Peter increased the vehemency of the denial. Human nature seems to follow the same pattern—when backed into a corner, threatened, or questioned, we want to guarantee our response with an oath or a swear. This is where Kingdom Living differs.

Introduction

Kingdom Living is the theme of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as he clarifies God’s intent for how we are called to live. Christians are to be a light to the world, not like the world. This is not an attempt by Christians to be better than, holier than, or more worthy. It is simply a desire to be like the Savior that calls us.

In the antitheses section of the Sermon, Jesus states what the people have heard as opposed to what they have read. The hearing involved the traditions which the Jewish shepherds bound around the Law of Moses to hedge it against infraction. Because the traditions were meant to protect the law, they sounded like the law, even word for word sometimes. But what the traditions lacked was the transformation of the heart.

This morning I want to focus on Jesus’ teaching about oaths and swearing, and understand his challenge for a simple “yes.”

Discussion

What You Heard (Matt 5:33)

Matthew 5:33 ESV

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’

Here we see how Jesus is dealing with traditions rather than the actual law. While the sentiment is found in some places, Exodus 20:7 ““You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Leviticus 19:2 ““Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” It is not actually a quote from the Old Law.

Additionally, Jesus expands on their understanding of oaths in his lament of Jerusalem, Matthew 23:16–22 ““Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.” The ones responsible for teaching and leading the people had developed an elaborate system of when an oath was binding, like kids on a playground crossing their fingers. It was almost a game, a game they controlled and left the people burdened and confused!

What Jesus Said (Matt 5:34-36)

Matthew 5:34–36 ESV

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

Jesus simplifies the system—Do not take an oath at all. Nothing we may swear by is ours to declare, not heaven, not God’s throne, not the earth, not even the city of Jerusalem. It all belongs to God. In fact, we don’t even own ourselves as we cannot make a single hair on our head turn white or black. Only your teenagers can do that!

Yet, the Law did allow people to swear an oath, Deuteronomy 10:20 “You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.” To swear by God’s name is to call him as witness. Moses calls heaven and earth to witness, Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,” He is asking the people to pledge an oath of allegiance to God, and heaven and earth will witness their oath.

Paul swears and oath by the name of God often, Romans 1:9 “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you” 2 Corinthians 1:23 “But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth.” Philippians 1:8 “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

How can we square Jesus’ “Do not take an oath at all” with Paul and God making oaths and swearing? The issue isn’t the swear or the oath, but rather the intention behind it—Do you intend to keep it, or is your guarantee just idle words? In describing God’s oath Hebrews 6:17 “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.” Often when someone says, “I swear to God” or “I cross my heart and hope to die,” the words only meant to add seriousness to their lie or assurance to their scam, with little commitment to follow through.

What to do (Matt 5:37)

Matthew 5:37 ESV

Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Jesus calls his followers to be people of integrity and trust. We are to live our lives in such a way that people can count on us. If we say “yes,” then it is a yes. If we agree to something, people should count on us without hesitation. People shouldn’t wonder about our word.

How can we build such a reputation?

Don’t be afraid to say, “No.” If you are asked to do something, but you don’t know how, don’t have time, don’t have the desire, don’t have the resources, admit you cannot do it. Do not promise to get it done, the renege on your promise. Integrity begins with being honest with yourself.

If you say, “Yes,” do it. Move heaven and earth to get it done. Don’t let distractions, inconveniences, or aches and pains get in the way. As most of us know, we can find a hundred reasons to hinder us and not get it done. But we must ignore them all to build a reputation of integrity.

If you don’t accomplish it, make it right. I knew a man in the agribusiness who was called to spray the 60 acres south of a guy’s barn. After the job was complete, the customer came out and said, he meant for him to spray the east pasture, not the south pasture. So the businessman loaded up and sprayed the east pasture. Rightfully, he could have charged for both fields, but he took the hit and made it right. Character should win out over pettiness.

Consistency is the key to building. Don’t fail to follow through on 6 jobs, and succeed in 1, and expect people to think you are trustworthy. It does not work that way. Integrity and character takes time and consistency.

Don’t add guarantees, just do it. As Christians, we have the Truth. Therefore, truth must be our watchword, the standard of our conduct and speech. No extra guarantees are necessary.

Are Christians forbidden to make any oaths or swear by anything? When asked to swear an oath, a Christian should not hesitate, because it is an affirmation to do what he/she would have done already. Just as God swore to guarantee the promise he would have done anyway.

So, What?

Live your life so a simple “Yes” means something.