Sermon on the Mount Oaths

Matthew 5:33-37

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. But I tell you: Do not swear at all; either by
heaven, for it is Gods throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair
white or black. Simply let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No; anything beyond this
comes from the evil one. (5:33-37)
Jesus continues to fulfill the law by his reinterpretation of it here he does not recite scripture,
but quotes a rabbinic paraphrase of passages on oaths (Deut 23:21-23, Numbers 30:2)
It is obvious that anyone who makes an oath to God should not break it (if you make a vow to
the Lord . . . Deuteronomy 23:21), but Jesus addresses the problems of swearing by anything
at all and of making oaths frivolously, and the integrity involved in abstaining from oaths
Jesus teaches that we should not swear either by Gods name, by heaven or earth, or by
anything God has created to do so is presumptuous because these are not ours to pledge
The fact that a person qualifies a statement with an oath is indicative of incredibility
If you swear by God not only are you taking Gods name in vain (Exodus 20:7 and
Deuteronomy 5:1), but you imply that your word alone is insufficient and is not trustworthy
Just as the continual use of profanity is a demonstration of a limited vocabulary, so an oath
(such as by God or before God or I swear to God) demonstrates a lack of credibility
Matthew Henry: There is no reason to consider that solemn oaths in a court of justice or on
other proper occasions are wrong, provided they are taken with due reverence; but all oaths
taken without necessity, or in common conversation, must be sinful . . . the worse men are, the
less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is a need for them.
Not only is swearing by Gods name audacious (for God is not subject to man), but even
swearing on your own human strength (by your head) is arrogant and foolish (James 4:13)
The common abuse of making oaths is made clear upon consideration of Jesus words in
Matthew 23:16: Woe to you, blind guides! You say, If anyone swears by the temple, it
means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.
Just as the Pharisees legalistically approached the law concerning murder, adultery and
divorce, so they had made their own determination of which oaths were actually binding
To swear by the temple did not count, but swearing by the gold of the temple was binding
(23:16); to swear by the altar was not binding, but by the gift on the altar was binding (23:17)
Jesus solution for this lack of sincerity and integrity? Do not swear at all (5:34)
Jesus concludes: let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No; anything beyond this comes
from the evil one nothing good comes from the indiscriminate swearing an oaths
James repeats this teaching of Jesus: Above all, do not swear not by heaven or by earth or
by anything else; let your Yes be yes, and your No, no, or you will be condemned (5:12)
This condemnation is self-inflicted: When words are many, sin is unavoidable (Prov 10:19)
Martin Lloyd-Jones: To tell a lie is as bad as perjury, for as Christians we should always
speak as in the presence of God . . . He is the Spirit of truth, and there is no lie anywhere near
Him (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, page 237-238)