But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one

 

 "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 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).   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 comments that the issue here is not the God-given mutual attraction of men and women, but rather the selfish promptings of lust.  It notes that sin does not come out of nature, but rather out of the distortion of nature for self-indulgence.  It's very essential to remember that thoughts that enter the mind involuntarily are not sins, but they are temptations.  They become sins only when they are held and entertained.  

"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 is not meant literally, but Christ rather refers to decisive action needed to save -- as in a necessary amputation because of spreading infection or disease.  Jesus is likening our need to take decisive action to avoid sin and continue in purity to such medical emergencies.

 "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 notes that in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce at that time, Jesus makes repeated condemnations of divorce (see also Matthew 19:8-9).  His emphasis is on the eternal nature of marriage.  My study Bible adds that the possibility of divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality shows that marriage can be destroyed by sin.  In the Orthodox Church, it explains, divorce is discouraged but allowed as well as second marriage which is seen as a concession to human weakness and a corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken. 

 

 "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 that trust cannot be secured by swearing an oath by things that are not in the possession of human beings to begin with -- but only through simple integrity.

In a modern (perhaps Western) context, we often hear swearing but not necessarily in the serious context of an oath.  So frequently in expressions of this kind, words in a modern context seem almost to lose their meaning.  But here Jesus speaks even of the seriousness of taking an oath.  What that indicates to us, first of all, is the seriousness of the language that we use.  As remarked upon in yesterday's reading, Jesus gives us a sense of how powerful our words are, but not in the ways that we necessarily think so.  Most importantly, our words and our use of words reflect back upon us, and will be significant in the time of judgment.  Our words make an impact within and among our relationships, communities, families.  But perhaps even more significantly, our words also have an impact upon the state of our souls, where we sit with God, and who we are in the world.  My study Bible comments that for Christ, it is integrity that is of the highest value, a quality that is at once precious, and seemingly devalued in modern life.  Christ's teaching, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" makes this explicitly clear to us.  Speaking about divorce can be also taken in this context, for marriage is a covenant, a kind of oath.  We give our word of faithfulness.  So let us first consider the importance of integrity in this context.  Marriage is not easy, and it demands mutual sacrifices of us.  It asks us to place the marriage itself in higher importance to oneself as an individual.  These things take commitment, flexibility, creativity, and an understanding of how exactly both sacrifice and even suffering are part of life.  The integrity which Christ describes He showed throughout His own life, and in so doing, teaches us how we need to meet our own suffering, responsibilities, and even the joys of life as well.  

But I say to you, do not swear at all

 

 "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 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, 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, 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 explains that the issue here is not the God-given mutual attraction of men and women, but the selfish promptings of lust.  Sin doesn't come out of nature, it says, but out of the distortion of nature for self-indulgence.  Thoughts which enter the mind involuntarily are not sins, they are temptations.  They become sins only when they are held and entertained.  

"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, of casting off an eye or hand, is meant to be illustrative of decisive action to avoid sin, and to continue in purity.  An eye may glance with covetousness and greed, a hand may reach out for what does not belong to it.  We must consider Christ's message as vivid in order to convey the importance of our inner state of mind and our awareness of where we are led.

"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 comments 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 (Matthew 19:8-9) and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  The possibility of divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality is actually a very important teaching, because it tells us that marriage can be destroyed by sin -- indeed sin, in its very nature, is abusive to relationships and hence to community.  Broken relationships are part of what is often called the brokenness of the world.  The early Church would expand cause for divorce to include other specific abuses of the marriage relationship.  My study Bible comments that while recognizing divorce as a serious sin, the Orthodox Church allows divorce and a second marriage as a concession to human weakness and as a corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken.  A third marriage is permitted under specific, limited circumstances, and a fourth is never permitted.

"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 that trust cannot be secured by swearing an oath by things that are not in the possession of human beings anyway, but only by simple integrity.

I'm intrigued by Christ's statement on swearing oaths.  Just like the significance of our inner thoughts and the importance of our awareness of them (and understanding of the potential in them), Christ is trying to teach us about the significance of our words and how important they are.  We don't need to swear oaths at all, according to Jesus.  Let us pay attention to the powerful things He wants us to recognize:  to swear by heaven is to implement the very throne of God into what we wish to attest to.  To swear by the earth is to put into our own oath God's creation.  Jerusalem is known still as the Holy City, the one that belongs to God the great King.   This phrase, "the great King," is found in Psalm 48.  It is one that praises God, and the "city of our God," which is Jerusalem.  The psalmist writes, "God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge."  It is the "city of the Lord of hosts."  As Christians, we understand the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Christ has also meant that we understand the fulfillment of this spiritual history to be in the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God, and the place out of which the Gospel, the Word of God, comes.  This is the fulfillment of the Lord of hosts, the presence of God the Holy Spirit "in our palaces" indwelling the world as in the tabernacle.  Jesus is telling us that our own integrity must be substantial, equivalent even to these powerful things, of which we are not the author, nor are we in control.  But our own word, our own integrity, can be that powerful if we stick, in humility, with what is simple and true.  He says it more perfectly than anyone else with His own simple turn of phrase:  "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' "  And He adds, "For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."  What I take this to mean is that when we get beyond a simple focus on our own integrity, and in the humility we have in the light of God, we invite in the grandiose, the thoughts that lead us astray that He's already warned us about, all the things that gather about to tempt us to be more than we really need to be if we are following His word and command.  The whole world will seemingly conspire to ask us to be more:  to be more powerful, to have a greater looking spouse, or home, or attractive and impressive sounding job, and especially to carry more social clout in whatever way that might happen or manifest in our particular circle of the world.  But Christ asks us to get down to what really matters and count on that as all the world's wealth:  that our words -- even the simplest of them -- carry meaning and value through our own integrity.  This is the rock bottom of His call to cast away from ourselves the thoughts that lead us astray with selfishness or greed at their root, looking with the eye and grabbing with the hand what seems to be better, or where the grass must be greener.  We start off with the heart and learn to treasure integrity, a purity and simplicity He has preached from the beginning of this Sermon.  For this is where our real treasure and value will be, and this is all we really have in our control.