Let 'Yes' be 'Yes' and 'No' be 'No'
Imagine a life where you felt free to always speak the truth. Or when anytime a promise is made, you completely believe that the promise will be followed through. It’s so far from what we often experience, but that’s the vision of life that Jesus is presenting in His kingdom: a life of beautiful truth-speaking. In Matthew 5:33-37, we come to learn three things about how we should speak:
The Problem with Oaths (v.33)
In this world where lying has been made as a necessary evil, we often make promises or oaths. If we really want to gain someone’s trust, we might make an oath. If we want to assure that we’ll follow through with our promise, we might make an oath. In a way, oaths exist to combat dishonesty and develop a sense of security.
But in verse 34-36, Jesus forbids the audience to make oaths. He advises that every word that comes from your mouth should carry meaning and weight and therefore, you' won’t be in need of making oaths. This is a vision for life in his kingdom where everyday relationships are so honest and trustworthy.
The Power of Truth (v.37)
Instead of making oaths, Jesus offers a simpler principle. He says, let our ‘yes’ or ‘no’ be just that. For when we become truthful people, those simple words carry all the weight you need. But being a truth-teller means we must have two elements: honesty and integrity. Honesty is when you want to insist that you are telling the truth, whereas integrity is when you want to insist that you’ll keep your word.
Unfortunately, we tend to show the opposite of honesty and integrity and there are at least three main reasons why.
People-pleasing - this is a mindset where you’re placing people’s approval over God’s approval. In a way, you’re actually idolising that person, which is spiritually disastrous.
The need to always impress people - this is the person who cares deeply what others think of them so they’re always managing people’s impression of them by stretching the truth.
Entitlement - the mindset that your current happiness is more important than any commitment you might have made in the past.
Those are some of the big enemies of truth-telling. If you can relate to one or all of those thing, then you desperately need to hear this final point.
The Heart that Matters
Back then, if you went to a Pharisee for advice regarding honesty, their advice might’ve sounded something like, “Stop lying!” Sounds simple, right? However, Pharisees were very (if not, too) focused on outward behaviour. The will-power may work but only for a little while. We need to get deeper to the root of the problem. Take Paul for example. He knew dealt with people who were fixated on what others thought. But he knew what they didn’t.
I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Corinthians 4:3-4)
Paul was never tempted to abandon his honesty or integrity for the sake of others, because he was basing his self-image on what God said about him. Similarly, we should base our judgement on what God deems important.
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45)
As it says in Luke, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of,” and when the heart is full of Christ, the mouth speaks truth; beautiful, loving, life-giving, promise-keeping, freeing truth.
Dear God,
Thank you that you are merciful. I believe you sent Jesus to die on the cross to rescue me from sin and death, and to restore me to the Father. It is so freeing that I don’t find my identity in people but in You. Come reign my heart Jesus, fill me with your life, and help me to become an honest person – a person like you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.