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.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.
The third Commandment states, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Ex. 20:7)” which all Jews would know. As Jesus continued his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5 – 7), he addressed the topic of swearing oaths. He quoted from OT Law which prohibits making false oaths; “You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord (Lev. 19:12).” He emphasized the importance of keeping oaths made to God, and perjury and infidelity to solemn vows are forbidden; “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).” One should not make a vow to the Lord that one has no intention of keeping.
After quoting from the Law, Jesus issued a new negative command ‘Do not swear at all’ either by heaven or any other thing that is sacred. The Pharisees swore by heaven and the temple to avoid using God's name. The examples Jesus used would have been understood by those listening to mean that man should not swear by God’s name or any substitute for God’s name. Man has no right to swear even by his own body because that also is under God’s control. All things were created by God, all things depend on God, and all things should reflect the glory of the creator. When one makes commitments, one should not try to strengthen or bolster them by using God’s name. Jesus then gave a positive command to speak the truth. One should be honest in one’s speech. Using oaths can lead to deception which is a sin.
Almighty God, grant us the courage to speak truth at all times no matter the circumstances, to resist swearing oaths we may not or cannot keep, and to resist profaning your divine name. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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