Matthew 5:33-37
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows 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.[a] (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:33%20-%2037&version=NIV)
In America if you go into the court system to testify you are asked to put your hand on the Bible and swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God. This scripture always made me wonder if we should not do that. A long time ago I watched or read a story about an Amish person who had to testify in court. They refused to do this and said something to the effect of “let my yes be yes and my no be no”. Of course religious freedom in America allowed them to do this and it made me wonder if we as Christians should all be doing the same.
As I thought more about this scripture an example of this very scripture came to my mind. You can find it in Matthew 26:59-64 when Jesus was taken to the high priest Caiaphas where He was falsely accused. Read how Jesus replied:
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ,[a] the Son of God.”
64 “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then again, Jesus was taken before Pilate who also questioned Him (Matthew 27:11):
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2027:11&version=NIV1984)
Here Jesus was being charged with blasphemy and false testimonies were being proclaimed against Him. His own friend betrayed Him in the garden with a kiss. Most of us would have been furious and wanting to defend ourselves yet Jesus simply replied, “yes”. The one who said don’t swear an oath, just let your “yes” be “yes”, practiced His very words. The very ones who were accusing Him were the ones swearing under oath by saying “I charge you under oath by the living God”. It is pretty apparent to me that they were breaking the oath that they had made to the Lord by even bringing Jesus to trial and then there were the false witnesses. Look at the verse Jesus was referring to in Leviticus 19:12 12 “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.’”(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2019:12&version=NIV1984) Being a high priest and teachers of the law, you would expect them to follow the law of Moses yet they plotted against Jesus and they brought false witnesses to accuse Him so they could put Him to death. I had a couple of thoughts as I read these verses:
The first is to make sure that I am always truthful and that when I say “yes” and when I say “no” people will know that I am telling the truth.
The second one may be a little more controversial and I hope that you will understand what I am saying. Always be alert to false witnesses. Always keep your eyes on the Lord and test those who proclaim the gospel. Even those who may call themselves pastors, Christians, leaders, elders, deacons, or men of God can be false witnesses. We must respect them when that respect is deserved and evident through their actions. If you are one of these leaders, live a life worthy of the Gospel and that respect will be automatic, let God guide you and pray continually. Just as the elders and the teachers of the law in Jesus time fell into the sin of falsehood, so can this happen today. Don’t be sucked into a vacuum by thinking that everyone who claims to be holy is truly holy but as Peter wrote in II Peter 2:1-3
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Peter%202:1%20-%203&version=NIV1984)
We need to be alert and watching but we must also be honest and truthful, living a life of integrity, in order that our “yes” can be “yes” and our “no” can be “no”. As you seek Him today, go to Him seeking a pure heart and ask Him to help you be the person He has called you to be, one of integrity, one who is honest, not seeking his own gain but that the Lord can be exalted.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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