The Commands of Christ, Part Seven

For part 7, we’re looking at Matthew 5:33-37. In the NASB 2020 it reads:

Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, “You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.” But I say to you, take no oath at all, neither of God, nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. But make sure your statement is “Yes, yes,” or “No, no;” anything beyond these is of evil origin.

This is a tough one. In modern society, we tend to interchange words like oath, promise, and vow. If you do a quick Google search, it will tell you that a promise is a general commitment to do or not to do something. It will say a vow is a deep and sacred commitment but an oath is a highly formal declaration backed by an institution to enforce it. We make marriage vows, we take oaths of office, we make promises to our kids. But Jesus tells us that anything beyond our “yes” or our “no” is of evil origin. So if I promise my wife I’m going to do the laundry, is that evil? Let’s dive into some Greek.

We have three words across this cluster of verses that require our attention. In Matthew 5:33, the cluster of “You shall not make false vows” uses the Greek epiorkeo. Where it talks about keeping vows to the lord, the word horkos is used. When Jesus tells us in verse 34 to “make no oath at all” the word omnyo is used. So we have two different words in English, “vow” and “oath,” but 3 related but different words when we look at the Greek.

Epiorkeo is typically used throughout the Bible to talk about someone swearing falsely. Horkos typically refers to something that has been promised or pledged. Omnyo, in verse 34 is used to talk about swearing something is true or false, to make a promise or a threat, or to name someone as a witness. So, why is this important?

Firstly, Jesus is not giving anyone permission to ignore the horkos they have with God. He is also not undoing that we are not to engage in epiorkeo. He is teaching us not to swear upon things as if to validate their truth or falsehood. Let me put it a little more plainly: this cluster of verses is about integrity and meaning what we say. When Jesus tells us our response should be “Yes, yes” the word here is “nai.” This word is used exclusively to affirm. It can be used to affirm something is true. It can be used to affirm you will do something. It can even mean “truthfully.”

When we look at “No, no” the word here is “ou.” It is used when someone is looking for a “yes” but you can’t or don’t want to give them one.

Now, NASB 2020 reads a little more clunky here than other translations. You might find the way the CSB translates it a little easier to comprehend. Verse 37 in the CSB reads: “But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.” Anything more than this is from the evil one.”

How often have you been let down by the promise of another? How often has a politician promised something we all thought we wanted just to get into office and then fail to deliver? How often did you as a kid promise you had nothing to do with the thing you absolutely framed your older brother for because he was a jerk that day? (It’s probably just me on that last one). The truth is, as humans, we tend to use promises to get what we want or to get out of trouble.

This is even true when we use the word “vow” which is supposed to be more powerful. But no matter how many couples make marriage vows, there is an estimated 1,840 to 2,400 divorces, per day, in the United States alone (reference). I’m not aiming to make anyone who has been divorced feel bad about themselves (I’m in my second marriage as I write this), but I did almost add “I promise” to the end of that sentence. Why? Because I didn’t want you to be mad at me for using divorce statistics to prove a point. Here I was, ready to us the word “promise” as a tool of manipulation.

And oaths? I don’t care where on the political spectrum you fall, you can probably name at least one politician who you feel has violated their oath of office. You might even know one at a local level.

So, I said this verse is about integrity, and it’s an integrity that we need to be passing down. When we say “yes,” we should mean it. It shouldn’t be something we say to avoid conflict. It shouldn’t be something we say to end a conversation when we don’t actually plan on following through (looking at all my fellow husbands who agreed to do laundry today but haven’t started it yet). It should be  genuine. Your “yes” should be so reliable that no one needs to ask you for a promise, no one needs a vow, and no one needs an oath.

When we say, “no,” we should mean it. It shouldn’t be something we say but then go back on later. I’m not talking about having a genuine change of heart. I used to ban my son from the interstate because he was a new driver. As my confidence in his driving ability grew, I withdrew that “no.” That’s not what we’re talking about here. If I tell someone I’m not going to do something, they should be able to rely on that. If I tell someone I’m not going to say something, they should be able to rely on that.

When we need to make a promise, it shows that the person we’re dealing with doesn’t trust our “yes” to mean “yes” (or our “no” to mean “no”). If we feel the need to offer them a promise as assurance, what does that say about how we view our own words? How do we establish that we mean what we say? By honoring our commitments.

Sadly, just professing our belief and attachment to Christ as our savior isn’t enough to build the confidence in us that we hope. There are too many who profess Christianity but don’t strive to be Christlike and it has hurt the integrity of the church as a whole. There are church bodies who have taken advantage of members. There are church leaders who have done atrocious things. The label of “Christian” doesn’t carry the automatic trust and holiness that it is supposed to. We only restore that reputation by being Christians who honor the commands of Christ.

So, while I won’t ask for your promise, vow, oath, or your horkos, I will challenge you to make a commitment to yourself to make your yes mean yes and your no mean no.