Jesus here is again dealing with a fallacy that had been taught unchallenged for decades. An oath was a sacred promise that tied one to God. An oath was very serious and was meant for extreme, self-commitment to someone, to something, or even to God’s commands. A broken oath was considered grave and deserved more punishment than a simple playground taunt.
That fact is, we do not have to make an oath to God just to help someone build a fence or repair a gutter. Oaths are sacred and too dangerous to consider. Jesus puts it bluntly – don’t swear an oath to anything. Your reputation is at stake. Respect is built upon trust not a pledge. Why risk all when a simple yes or no is adequate?
Many times we are overcommitted to people or to responsibilities and find ourselves stretched beyond normal reasoning. Swearing on your grandmother’s grave to get it done will not make people feel any better about your ability to follow through on the task at hand.
If people cannot trust your yes or your no, then can they trust you at all? Business leaders should full well understand this. This is why we live in a world that overly legalizes our yes and our no. Contracts have contracts that have a contract with small print. Where is the trust there?
We are human. Some take advantage of others while others are taken advantage of. This happens when a society loses its “religion” and refuses to accept moral principles to guide our everyday living. The moral of the story – Don’t say anything you do not mean. It may come back to reveal itself in a very nasty way. No matter how much “Jesus” you have, your yes does not become more yes and your no does not become more no by adding His name to the affair. Speak truthfully or forever hold your peace.
- Have you ever overcommitted yourself?
- How do you approach contract situations? Are you honest enough to accept the terms?
- Have you ever had someone lie to you? How does it feel?
- Have you ever been caught in a lie? How did others react?
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