Last week’s sermon passage highlighted yet another area where the Pharisees’ so called ‘righteousness’ was far from the mark; this time in the area of truthfulness. While some think Matt 5:33-37 is a condemnation against taking oaths altogether, Jesus is rather criticising those who use clever ways to deceive others, as further outlined in Matt 23:16-22.
As such, if a person wants us to take an oath (e.g. a court of law), in order to assure them we’re telling the truth, that’s perfectly fine according to Jesus. However, we must not think that since we’ve now taken an oath, we’re bound to our word. Christians are bound whether an oath is taken or not. As Jesus says ‘let your yes be yes, and your no no’ (Matt 3:37).
While lying destroys those we’re lying to, the most damage is done to ourselves. When we lack integrity, we start to lose our very identity. If our identity is found in things we always are (e.g. a male, a mother, a teacher, a Christian), what happens to that identity if we’re one thing to one group of people, and a different thing to another. Many who have kept a lie going for years (e.g. an affair, a drug habit, corruption) will often say ‘I don’t know who I am’.
Showing integrity protects us from this type of destruction. So let me ask, are you gentle and charming in public, but harsh and abusive at home? Do you use foul language at work, but not at church? Are you a drinker and a gambler among non-Christian friends, but temperate around Christians? If so, please know that reality (the truth) WILL catch up with you one day! Please heed Jesus’ warning, and start to show integrity.
Brendan McLaughlin
