Abraham
Lincoln, our sixteenth President of the United States of America, had such
high moral and ethical standards, that he became known as "Honest
Abe." How sad that our President today has become known as
"Slick Willie" and has had perjury added to the list of
accusations against his character. What did Jesus teach about the sin of
perjury? Following are His words from Matthew 5:33:
What the Law of Moses Said. 5:33—"Again, ye
have heard that it hath been said by them of old. Thou shalt not perjure
thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths."
This admonition of the Lord does not cover all the Old
Testament verses dealing with vows, but it does summarize what was
taught by the Jews. The first part of the verse, "Thou shalt not
perjure thyself" probably refers to Leviticus 19:12, "Ye shall
not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy
God: I am the LORD." Any Jew taking an oath in God’s Name was
bound to fulfill it or he would be breaking the Third Commandment, taking
the Name of the LORD in vain (Exodus 20:7). To avoid this, the Pharisees
would take oaths in the name of other things, but such oaths were not
binding, so it became an occasion for lying. They were literally perjuring
themselves by these oaths. In Matthew 23:15-22 Christ discusses these very
things by which they "swore" and denounces them as
hypocrites. The Law of Moses distinctly commanded that vows were to be
made in the name of Jehovah (Deuteronomy 6:13), yet these Pharisees were
deliberately by-passing this law so they would not have to keep their
vows.
What Christ Said: Negatively. 5:34-36
5:34a "But I say unto you, Swear not at all"
Do not use God’s Name to make promises you cannot
keep, and by all means, do not make any promises if your motives are not
honorable. This statement of Jesus does not eliminate the possibility of
taking oaths; if this were so, it would contradict Scripture. Indeed, God
Himself swore with an oath to Abraham in Genesis 22:16-18; Luke 1:73;
Hebrews 6:13-17. The point Christ makes is that oaths should not be made
hypocritically no matter what the basis of the oath may be. He then lists
four examples.
5:34b "neither by heaven, for it is God’s
throne."
You will violate the very presence of God by
doing so. In Matthew 23:22 Christ denounced the hypocrisy of the Pharisees
in this very matter by reminding them that if one swears by heaven he
"sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth on it."
Thus, there is no way of swearing by heaven and not involving the Name of
God in their hypocrisy! They are violating not only the presence of
God, but His Person as well!
5:35a "Nor by the earth, for it is His
footstool."
The entire creation involves the power of God as
well as His Person. You cannot get away with hypocritical vows,
thinking that swearing by the earth does not include the Name of God, for
it does. You are violating the work of God!
5:35b "Neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city
of the great King."
Whether this refers to the Father or to the Son, the
application is the same. In Psalm 48:1-2 it is ascribed to Jehovah: "Great
is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God . . .Mt.
Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." In
Psalm 2:5-12 God Himself says, "Yet I have set my king upon my
holy hill of Zion . . The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this
day have I begotten thee . . . Ask of me and I shall give thee the nations
. . .the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession." Thus,
to swear by Jerusalem is to violate the Persons of both the Father
and the Son.
5:36 "Neither shalt thou swear by thy head,
because thou canst not make one hair white or black."
Even making promises on the authority of your head is
related directly to God, since you cannot change one hair in color; only
God can do that, and He has numbered each hair, according to Matthew
10:20. In swearing by your head you are implying that you are in charge of
God’s plan for you, thus you are violating the program
of God.
What Christ Said: Positively. 5:37
5:37a "But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay,
nay"
Just be honest! What is needed is a re-evaluation of
oath taking. Why is it necessary to do anything more than to say yes or
no? In some cases taking an oath may be construed that your simple, honest
words are not to be trusted. A godly person can be trusted to mean what he
says. Do not be afraid to say no, if there is any doubt about your ability
or motivation to fulfill a responsibility. Some people say yes too easily
and too frequently for their own good. On the other hand, do not hesitate
to say yes when it is in the power of your hand to do good (Proverbs
3:27).
5:37b "For whatever is more than these cometh of
evil."
The words, "cometh of evil" can be
translated, "cometh of the evil" or "cometh of
the evil one." Greek grammar will allow for either emphasis. Both
things are true; we are living in an evil world controlled by the Evil
One. There are times when we must take oaths since we are living in this
evil world. Something more than a simple yes or no is necessary for
official documents. We must be in subjection to legal oaths in a
well-ordered society, to avoid controversy, as Hebrews 6:16 indicates. But
on a personal level, as James 5:12 admonishes, we are not to swear; rather
let our yea be yea and our nay be nay.
In the kingdom of heaven which Jesus is offering to the
Jews, He will not allow for lying nor perjury such as the Pharisees
practiced. Therefore, if your righteousness is not any better than the
righteousness of the hypocritical, lying Pharisees, you will in no wise
enter into the kingdom of heaven, which will come "in the
fullness of time."
