Matthew 5:33-37
Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, "you shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn". But I say to you, do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply Yes or No; anything more than this comes from evil.
Some further random thoughts on this passage:
- why is it necessary for us to say things like "I swear on my mother's grave" - does that imply we have a much lower tolerance for lying when we haven't said something like that?
- We are quick to make promises that we can't keep. Swearing and making oaths seems to become just a way of saying "I really want to do this, I'm going to try my hardest" rather than a reflection of the truthfulness of the statement.
- How often do we make promises to God that we fail to keep. "This time, I swear, I'm serious about following you God". But we still fail. Our mouths seem unaware of our inability to keep those sort of promises
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