Speaking the Truth

Continuing our studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matt 5:33-37) Would you say that you are a truthful person? Would you say you are an honest person? Most of us would agree that lies often have the potential to be destructive or hurtful and can easily break trust. In today’s passage, Jesus is encouraging honesty. To lie for our own gain or to hurt another is clearly wrong. A person of integrity will be truthful. “I swear on my mother’s grave!”, we have all heard people say. Or “On the life of my children, what I am telling you is true”. In Jesus’ day, people would swear oaths in a similar way to emphasize that what they are saying is true. So, they might use the name of God. But, some leaders, lacking integrity, might swear an oath in the name of something less than God, like Heaven or the city of Jerusalem, or something created by God, if they planned on not quite speaking the truth. It might have sounded good and even convincing (for example, “I swear it’s true on the name of our beautiful city Jerusalem”, or “this is as true as the hairs on my head”), but they may not be telling the whole truth. So, what is Jesus teaching here? Jesus is teaching that “swearing” is not necessary if people know that you are a truthful person. A simple statement or answer to a question, like yes or no is enough. What about so called “white” lies – withholding truth because you don’t want to hurt somebody? Do we say yes or no, tell it as it is, regardless of the effect the truth might have on a person. A good rule of thumb is to say that truth must always be balanced with genuine love. Paul encouraged us to speak the truth in love in Ephesians 4 v 15. If a truth will hurt another, perhaps we need to ask first if God’s wisdom counsels us to stay quiet; or maybe we can find a way of sharing the truth in a way that is kind.