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Response
Jesus said, “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no,’ ‘no.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” «But let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no,’ ‘no.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.», (Matthew 5:37, KJV). The NIV clarifies Jesus’ words somewhat: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” The context of this verse relates to oath-keeping. Let’s explore the broader context of Jesus’ sermon:
Matthew 5 is part of the Sermon on the Mount. In this section, Jesus addresses the underlying principles of certain Old Testament laws. There are situations where one could follow the letter of the law but still violate the principle. The Pharisees and teachers were adept at following the letter of the law, but Jesus warns His audience that unless their righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven «For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.», (Matthew 5:20). This statement would have surprised His audience, as the Pharisees and scribes were seen as models of obedience. Jesus highlights that mere obedience is insufficient if the spirit of the law is violated.
In Matthew 5:21–22, Jesus teaches that it is insufficient to be “technically” innocent of murder because one can harbor murderous thoughts and attitudes without committing the physical act. In Matthew 5:27–28, Jesus explains that being “technically” innocent of adultery is inadequate because a lustful look corrupts one’s purity of thought.In Matthew 5:31–32, Jesus teaches that divorcing a wife for an inadequate reason, even when the “proper paperwork” is filed, may not be a legitimate divorce in God’s eyes.
In Matthew 5:33–37, following the same pattern, Jesus addresses the subject of telling the truth. Jesus tells the crowd not to break their oaths. An oath was a promise to do or not do something, invoking God as witness and the One to bring judgment if the promise was broken. It was common for people to make oaths to emphasize their seriousness and truthfulness. Sometimes they would swear on something less than God, such as “heaven.” The point of the lesser oath was to allow some flexibility in breaking the oath—since God’s name had not been invoked, they reasoned, breaking the oath wasn’t that bad. In this case, the oath was being made by a person who was not afraid to break it, making the oath duplicitous. Instead of varying the “sincerity level” of oaths, Jesus says to simply say “Yes” or “No” and mean it. The invocation of God’s name is a mere technicality. Mouthing a meaningless oath does not create loopholes for yourself. Your word should be your promise. Jesus says that, oath or no oath, simply say what you mean and stick by it.
Here is the whole context: “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one” (Mathew 5:33-37;NLT).
In Matthew 5:34, Jesus says, “Do not swear an oath at all.” Some have interpreted this to mean that a Christian should not swear oaths at all.I would never take an oath for any reason, such as testifying in court. A witness is “sworn in” by raising his or her right hand (and sometimes placing the other hand on a Bible) and promising to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” However, the essence of Jesus’ teaching is not that taking an oath in this manner is incorrect. Taking a meaningless oath to exploit a loophole and keep the option of breaking it is incorrect. If an oath is necessary in the course of civic duty, the Christian should have no issue making it. The proper application of Jesus’ principle of “let your yes be yes” is that the Christian must be truthful in all circumstances.
