Oaths and Honesty
Is our honesty qualified, or obvious?
June, 2025
Many are confused over the meaning of Matthew 5:37, this month's spotlight verse. The primary issue is the difference between an "oath" and a "promise." Are they the same thing? Does Jesus mean we should never say, "I promise?" Or something else? Oaths in a contract, marriage, or courtroom are more than. They are contracts tied to consequences. When you "swear" to tell the truth in court, you're acknowledging that if you lie, it's a crime. A secular oath to be faithful to a spouse brings secular consequences if you cheat. Signing a contract is a vow backed up by explicit regulations about what happens if one side or the other fails to complete their portion.
Jesus is speaking about the way people tend to "swear to God" or say, "I swear on my life" as a way of emphasizing their honesty. When you say, "I swear on my kid's lives, I saw that tree get hit by lightning," you're subtly imply-ing that your word might not usually be reliable. Apparently, people might be inclined to doubt your honesty, so you say something equivalent to, "this time it's really true!"
In direct context, Jesus is referring to a common tactic of that era: appeal to divine punishment if you were being dishonest. To seal the deal on a sale, or get a good price, one might make such an oath. It's like saying, "see, I'm not afraid of divine wrath over this! The [deities] know I'm honest." Such words are easy to say and mean almost nothing, since that's not how divine retribution works. There's no real collateral. There is no risk. It's a cheap way of putting on sincerity.
Following this principle perfectly makes everything we say a promise. We should never tell someone we're going to do a thing, or not, unless we're prepared to commit to it. That's a great way to curb being careless. This is related to what's recorded in James 4:13–15, where he recommends tying the phrase—or at least, the idea—of "God willing…" to plans. Soon after, the book repeats Jesus' teaching from Matthew (James 5:12).
That's a high bar to clear. In practice, most people have common sense understanding. They know that new information or unforeseen problems can change our commitment. Saying, "I'll take you to work" to a friend who says their car is broken is a claim we should make good on. But it isn't usually treated as a "broken promise" when they mention that it's an eighteen-hour drive to their next job site. James' wisdom should still make us diligent about giving our agreement. With the car ride, we probably should have asked for more infor-mation. Or, simply included a qualifier such as, "as long as I can still make it to my own job on time…"
The very short version is "say what you mean, and mean what you say, always." We shouldn't imply that our day-to-day conversations need extra incentives to be honest. There's nothing wrong with the basic idea of a contract, where there are clear benefits and penalties for both sides. There's nothing wrong with making a "promise" to clarify that we really do intend to follow through—that we're not speaking in theory. But we shouldn't swear to / on God or anything else just to convince people we're telling the truth.
--Editor
