“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all; not 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. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one (Mt. 5:33-37)."
Jesus quoted the OT Law which stated, “You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord (Lev. 19:12).' And with respect to keeping an oath OT Law stated, “When a man makes a vow to the Lord or binds himself under oath to a pledge, he shall not violate his word, but must fulfill exactly the promise he has uttered (Num. 30:3).” With respect to OT swearing falsely, one should not make a vow to the Lord that one has no intention of keeping. After quoting from the Law Jesus issued the negative command ‘Do not swear’ and then used examples that would have been understood by those hearing as references to the divine. All things were created by God, all things depend on God, and all things should reflect the glory of the creator. You should not swear by God’s name or any substitute for God’s name. When you make commitments, you should not try to strengthen or bolster them by using God’s name. Jesus then gave a positive command to speak the truth.
Almighty God, grant us the courage to speak the truth at all times no matter the circumstances. Through the sacrifice of your beloved son, grant us the grace to resist swearing oaths we will not keep, and to resist profaning your divine name. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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