Sunday, November 1, 2009
I Solemnly Swear…
(Matthew 5:33-37)
Because we live in the most litigious society the world has ever know, Christians sometimes find themselves in courtroom situations. Most Christians have heard that they should not “swear on the Bible,” and are troubled as to the appropriate response when taking the oath. Accommodating this concern, many bailiffs ask a witness to “swear or affirm,” acknowledging a Christian’s prerogative to let his “yea be yea.”
The issue is more than courtroom drama. In Old Testament times, one would affirm his commitment to an agreement by “swearing,” invoking the sacredness of something outside of oneself to bolster claims of sincerity and integrity. It was held that while one may perjure his own integrity, he would certainly refrain from perjuring something held sacred. The problem with this belief, however, is that personal integrity is sacred.
Jesus’ concern was not so much in the possibility of besmirching something held sacred. His concern centered upon the apparent disregard folks had for their personal integrity. Jesus argued that rather than invoking something outside of oneself, one’s word should be his bond. In other words, Christians should have such a high regard for the truth and their own integrity that they would never consider violating verbal agreements. Jesus even warned that the propensity to appeal to sacred items apart from personal integrity assures the preponderance of evil and reveals bankruptcy of character. Let’s let our “yea” be “yea” and our “nay, nay!”
