It is a common scene in TV and movies: A person is in court, about to testify. Before any question is asked, they stand before the whole court with one hand on the Bible and say, “I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”
Maybe I am just a cynic (I hope not!), but I wonder if putting a hand on the Bible has ever made someone less likely to lie. This is not to lessen the importance of the Bible! In fact, I would argue that the Bible says we shouldn’t do that.
In Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus teaches on how his followers should not vow on anything by heaven or earth. Rather, our “yes should be yes, and no should be no” (v. 37). Dietrich Bonhoeffer talks about this passage in his book on the Sermon on the Mount, “The Cost of Discipleship.” He says that oaths were created because lying existed. At some point in history, we could no longer take someone at their word, so “larger” promises needed to be made. Even for the youngest of kids, promises are sometimes not enough, so we have to have the ironclad pinky promise!
Jesus is challenging his disciples: live your lives in a way that no one will question your word. If you say you will do something, do it! If not, don’t. Followers of Jesus are called to live lives of integrity and honesty. In fact, that is the only thing we have control over! We don’t have control over heaven (v. 34), Jerusalem (v. 35), or even our own head/hair (v. 36), so why would we swear by those things?
My prayer today is that Christians are the people and churches are the places where our word means something. When we say we will be there, we show up! Where we don’t just pretend to love others but actually love them (Romans 12:9). Where our yes is yes and our no is no. What a beautiful place and people to be!
Reflection:
- Think of a time when you or someone else made a promise but didn’t follow through. How did that impact the relationship?
- Why do you think Jesus is emphasizing integrity to his disciples? What is the challenge/invitation for you?