# On the 4th Sunday of every month, Pastor Mizuguchi gives a lecture of reflections upon, “The Sermon on the Mount.” This session today, is the sixth of the series.

1. Prohibition

Today we are exploring another of Jesus’ antitheses on the fulfilment of the law. Jesus, on this occasion, was preaching the Sermon on the Mount* when he focused on the value of oaths. Matthew captures his teaching with these opening words: “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord ‘” (Matthew 5:33). Here Jesus was emphasising the importance of telling the truth. He further develops his theory about giving oaths: “But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne, or by earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great kink” (Matthew 5:34-35).

Perhaps the above verses are confusing to us because sometimes it is necessary for ‘to swear’ allegiance in a formal solemn manner, or ‘to declare’ or ‘to promise.’ On certain occasions like a marriage ceremony or receiving baptism we need to declare some promising words publicly. Before sharing the Lord’s Communion, our Baptist church members read together, aloud, ‘the Communion Promise of the Church.’ By promising, we will serve our Lord and respect His teachings. We show love for each other and wait for the day of the Lord.

It occurs in the secular daily life too. We are obliged to swear or declare our willingness aloud, for example, at an opening ceremony of a sporting competition, or an entrance ceremony of the school. When we sign contracts for trades, loans or rental accommodation, we must express our willingness to respect the conditions of the contract and its clauses. In short, we cannot live without giving words of promise.

But, here in our reading from Matthew, Jesus extends the prohibition against false oaths (Exodus 20:7) to all oaths. He is implying that a small community of integrity and ‘right’ relationships does not need oaths that can be used evasively. Oaths and promises sworn in God’s name should be sacrilege. But, throughout history people substituted God’s name and swore upon other things, such as ‘heaven’ or ‘earth,’ things they perceived to be worthy anchors as a guarantee for their oaths.

These ‘other things’ often provide the excuse for failure when it does not involve God’s name. Oaths and promises were common in Jesus’ time, as they are today, but Jesus told his followers not to use them - their word alone should be enough. Jesus’ stricture against oaths by the temple, the temple gold, the altar or heaven (Matthew 23:16-22), are aimed at the casuistry which attempted to classify oaths, according to degrees of validity.

2. Careless Words

Relative to the times of Jesus’ ministry, and as it remains in our world today, people continually break promises and use sacred language casually and carelessly. Keeping oaths and promises is important, because it builds trust and makes committed human relationships possible. However, sincere willingness is not always enough to keep our promissory words because human intention is basically flawed. A person with a reputation for exaggeration or lying often cannot get anyone to believe them by word alone. We change our minds as personal feelings and surrounding circumstances change.

Jesus’ teaching requires us to be faithful to our words, with emphasis on the importance of telling the truth. The thrust of our speaking should be sincere, honest and authentic, even if the words are not delivered in the form of a vow or promise. Jesus said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). Before God we are responsible for whatever we speak.

Our word, not only towards God, but also to other humans must always be sincere and honest. So Jesus compels us: “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). After all, I think the teaching about oaths focuses on our manner of speaking. If we tell the truth all the time, we will have less pressure to back up our words with an oath or promise.

Recently I heard that in some churches the Pastor has modified the traditional wedding vows. The original expression of “I promise” is replaced by “I’ll try” or “I will make the effort.” As the percentage of divorce cases have increased to approximately 50% of all married couples, perhaps these Pastors might think the old ‘I promise’ has became meaningless, or too binding. But personally I find the change to the phrases unnecessary.

3. Jesus’ Ruling

I chose Deuteronomy 23:22-23 for today’s invocation verses: “But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.”

We must respect whatever we promise. If it seems that something is too difficult to achieve, we should not make the promise. We need to be faithful in all that we utter. However it is not always easy to keep promises. As long as we cannot control our tongue, there is a danger of speaking superficially (James 3:5-8). Oaths are still needed in certain situations only because we live in a sinful society that breeds distrust. We still make promises when receiving baptism, or exchanging wedding vows. Law courts in various countries throughout the world expect a witness to place their hand on the Bible and say: “I swear that the evidence I am about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”

The church is based on the free will of all believers, without external pressures or obligations. We are a collective of Christians who support each other prayerfully. Especially the Baptist church respects the members’ free choice. Therefore on every ceremonial occasion we make and declare our own decisions. For example, when we receive baptism, or when the Pastor and Steward accept their nomination the act of giving witness to the faith is required.

Nevertheless, it happens sometimes that we cannot remain totally loyal to any original decision. In that case we pray that Jesus will intervene and show us the right way. Our future is not in our own hands. It is God who decides everything. And through God we have met Jesus, who died on the Cross for our salvation. That encounter with our Lord should purify us and make us free from sin. Therefore we once again sincerely declare ourselves to be His followers. When that declaration is at risk of failing, we pray to God, through Jesus, for His guidance, wisdom and support.

Today we have briefly studied the antithesis on oaths through Jesus’ preaching the Sermon on the Mount. It began with the legal principle that a person who has taken an oath (i.e., called God as witness to the truth of their statement or promise) must not break their word. This opens up a wide area of debate including the question whether all oaths - those made on the name of God and those in some other form - are equally binding. He is teaching us to be so aware of the presence of God that we are totally committed by our “Yes” or “No” (Matthew 5:37).

*The Sermon in Matthew:
5:13-16, address to the new community
5:17-48, six antitheses on the fulfilment of the law
6:1-18, on almsgiving, prayer, and fasting
6:19-7:12, on possessions, anxiety and trust, behaviour to neighbours
7:13-27, concluding challenge

Further readings about: oaths, promises, and vows
Exodus 20:7
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
James 3:5-8
James 5:12
Matthew 23:16-22