| Matthew 5:33
Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. |
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| There are three
basic purposes for swearing: to give emphasis to what is being said, to
pronounce a curse on someone, or to impress the listener of the truth of
what is being said. In any case, using God's name as part of the oath
is sin, a violation of the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:7). The Jews
viewed God's name as sacred, so this was an easy idea to get across, but
they used other things to swear by, based on Christ's statement here.
He says that swearing an oath by anything is a sin, because God made it all.
In our day, there is no such reverence for God's name as the Jews had,
certainly not in the world. As Christians, we often think nothing
about milder oaths, such as "Gosh" or "Gee", not realizing that the first is
a corruption of "God", and the second the first syllable of the name of
Jesus.
The everyday language of a culture reflects its standards of conduct and morality. Obscenity is a part of most television shows and movies, so pervasive that few people, even Christians, raise any objections. Whether the words used refer to God, the sex act, or some part of the human anatomy, the intent is the same: to degrade or denigrate the object or hearer of the obscenity. More than that, though, obscene oaths also cheapen and ridicule the acts or people used to express the oaths. Using the sex act or parts of the anatomy connected with it makes sex no more than the object of lust and filth, instead of the sacred act between man and wife it was meant to be. Using the name of God in an oath is an effort to rob him of the worship and praise due him. Any oath beyond that brings dishonor to his creation. Swearing an oath of any kind should have no part in a believer's vocabulary. |
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Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard
that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: :43 Ye have heard that it hath
been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. |
Luke 6:27 But I say
unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. |
| Love does not
seek revenge. The world's reaction when someone is wronged is to
inflict the same damage, or worse, on the perpetrator. That is
certainly the basis for our legal system, and I don't believe that Jesus is
arguing against a society's right to enforce standards of behavior.
What he is addressing particularly here is our response as individuals, and
the requirement for forgiveness. If someone attacks us physically, or
defrauds us financially, our first reaction should be to forgive, not seek
retribution. That runs against our grain, even for Christians, and is
arguably the most difficult teaching of the Lord to observe. The idea
is emphasized repeatedly in the New Testament: Romans 12:19 Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is
written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 1
Corinthians 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you,
because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why
do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Hebrews 10:30
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will
recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. We always seek to balance accounts in our lives, when the only one who can really do so is God. That not only applies to seeking revenge, but to our giving. In the world, people often give because they expect something in return, whether it's a favor, a reciprocal gift, public recognition, or a tax deduction. It's not that there's no such thing as true charity in times of disaster, or that nonbelievers don't respond to human need. Neither is it possible to know what motives cause people to give in such cases, like the September 11 attacks or the Hurricane Katrina disaster. What is certain, though, that the principle of giving without expectation of reward, whether used by nonbelievers or Christians, is a Biblical principle. The great difference is that our reward comes from God; once a nonbeliever gives in such cases, the only rewards are a tax deduction, the approval of others, and any sense of personal satisfaction that derives from it. Beyond just giving to those who cannot repay, love also extends to those who wish us harm, not just in not seeking to harm them in return, but in actively praying and working for their good. The world extends kindness to those who repay with kindness, or gratitude, again giving with the expectation of repayment. Godly love is unselfish, because love and compassion are right in themselves, regardless of response. Whether we give in acts of kindness or in our finances, we should not expect repayment. When a positive response comes, we can certainly praise God for it, but we should not become bitter or disappointed if none ever comes. Matthew expresses the goal of our Christian lives as perfection, which here means the goal of being like God. Luke expresses the goal in terms of being merciful, or loving and compassionate. They are both expressions of the same idea: our code of conduct should be based on responding as Christ would respond in all our dealings with others. |
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