Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No"

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.   And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

"Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

- Matthew 5:27-37

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught:  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  My study bible tells us that the issue here is not the God-given mutual attraction of men and women, but rather the selfish promptings of lust.  This is a question of thinking in terms of acquisition.  My study bible adds that sin does not come out of nature, but rather out of the distortion of nature for self-indulgence.  But it cautions us to recall that thoughts that enter thine mind involuntarily are not sins but rather temptations.  They only become sins when they are held and entertained.  Jesus asks us to consider the wholeness of a human being, not imply outward actions, but the fullness of the soul, of who we are.

 "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.   And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."   This imagery is given not to be taken literally, but Christ uses metaphorical language to emphasize decisive action to avoid sin and thereby protect the whole self.

"Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."  My study bible remarks that in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in His time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (see also 19:8-9), and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  Additionally, however, it must be noted that the possibility of divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality tells us something important:  that marriage -- as other relationships -- can be destroyed by sin.  It is a recognition of abuse resulting in broken communion.  My study bible says that the Church allows divorce as a concession to human weakness and as a corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken.  Let us note also that the possible reason for divorce Jesus names is simply that, a possibility.  This is not a command to divorce; in all cases relationships are redeemable but that depends on both parties.

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."   My study bible comments here that trust cannot be secured by swearing an oath by things that are not in humanity's possession anyway, but rather only by simple integrity. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seems to have an overarching theme of the integrity of the wholeness or fullness of a person.  He is encouraging each of us in a "not-so-simple" way to be what we can be, to become more truly and deeply, and with faith, what we are in God's sight.  He asks us not to settle for a worldly or selfish point of view, but for something quite different which is indicated by participation in the kingdom of heaven.  In this light, He gives us different goals than the world does, and asks us to pursue a life of blessedness, of a kind of joy that is the product of a fully-integrated spiritual life, not one separated from our worldly lives.  In today's reading, He emphasizes this kind of integrity by first of all separating out impulses that destroy or deny the wholeness of who we are.  In yesterday's reading (see above), He spoke of anger being akin to murder.  In today's He mentions lust.  Let us note that my study bible points out that lust in this context does not indicate a simple normal attraction, but rather a kind of covetousness, a selfish orientation that is nurtured or held onto.  It is here that Jesus first uses the language of surgery, such as might be applied in His time to an infection that might spread to the whole body, and so amputation is required to save the whole person although parts might be lost.  It is in this context that He speaks of the preference to lose an eye or hand rather than the whole body perish.  Metaphorically an eye covets what does not belong to the person, a hand reaches out to grasp or grab where it should not.  Jesus emphasizes integrity and wholeness by reminding us that if a small thing gets hold of us and takes all our attention and time and energy it can drag the rest of us down with it, making a mess of the whole of our lives.  Integrity is further emphasized through His warnings about divorce.  When is marriage worth sacrificing?  Should we easily cast something away that is good or does good?  In Christ's time, a wife could be cast off for almost any reason -- and we are given to understand through Jesus that such relationships are sanctified by God and should be cherished for what they are truly worth.  It's worth remembering also that He does not excuse abuse nor overlook the possibility of such a relationship being destroyed.  But in our fullness of integrity as human beings, we must remind ourselves what the goodness of communion means and especially in the context of the possibilities of marriage.  See also Jesus' view on marriage as two becoming one flesh for a fuller understanding (Matthew 19:3-6).  This concept of integrity is emphasized more fully through Christ's teaching on swearing oaths.  To "let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No' " is to act with the greatest integrity of all.  When Jesus adds, "For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" He is again giving us a sense of temptations that can lead to a contamination (so to speak) of the whole of one's integrity.  This teaching is an emphasis on what it is to be pure in heart as well, in which we are not duplicitous, but rather the same on the inside as the outside.  It seems that it is also in this sense that Jesus praises Nathanael, in John's Gospel, when He says, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" after Nathanael asks whether any good thing can come from Nazareth (John 1:45-49).   When our word becomes truly worth its meaning, it is in some sense "bankable."  That is a certain kind of fullness of integrity that Jesus encourages us to aspire to.  It is a worthy endeavor indeed.  All in all, today's passage gives us many ways to enhance our lives and our stature, ways of making our souls full of substance.  It's important that these concepts are not given to us simply as talents or things with which God enhances us or not.  Rather Jesus presents them all as things toward which we can work in faith.  They are all things each of us can develop, acquire, and build up through discipleship.  And that is a most important and essential component of our faith:  it is one of growth, change, forgiveness, and ongoing endeavor and mission.  Indirectly we can conclude a tenet Jesus will teach later, that of endurance, and a spirit of never giving up even in what seems like the darkest or most difficult of times.  Jesus teaches us that with God's help, all things are always possible.  Our Lord is our greatest cheerleader, if you will, His mission in our world is not simply one of redemption but of promise to all human beings with humanity held in the highest esteem for the things of which we are each capable.  This is the discipleship He offers to us.  Shall we take Him up on it, and follow Him to the goals He sets for us?