Commissioned: Following the Commands of Jesus. Adam Wujtewicz, February 19. 2023
It’s amazing how quickly people will say things like; I swear on my mother’s grave, or I swear to God, maybe cross my heart and hope to die. These words should carry weight but they’re frivolous. No one will enslave us or kill our mothers because we didn’t fulfill a promise or were wrong about something we said. That’s just how people talk… God wouldn’t hold us accountable for swearing in His name! Hang on…
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7
That’s just Old Testament though, right? Wait a minute…
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,” – Matthew 12:36
God doesn’t let things slide because He knows your heart. What kind of heart makes a frivolous promise? Do not invoke the name of God to add weight to your speech. His name is too precious. If it’s not from God don’t ever say it was.
Should we never swear? Are all oaths bad? Your marriage vows are an oath before God that you will love and cherish your spouse, in sickness, health, poverty and wealth. God holds you accountable for that and it’s a great vow to take. What about the oath that Pastor Brad spoke over the new members of Seaport a few weeks ago? God will hold them accountable for that but it’s a great vow to take. Oaths of office and ordination should be taken seriously as a vow made before God. Baby dedications, baptisms, the list of good and proper vows goes on and on.
We’re camping out in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verses 33-37 to see what Jesus says about it. We’re right in the middle of the sermon on the mount. In between the section on divorce (the breaking of a vow), and retaliation (which might come from the breaking of a vow). Jesus did not just string a bunch of good points together. He knew how to make His sermons flow.
“33Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’34But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.36And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” – Matthew 5:33-37
The sermon on the mount is soaked in wisdom and doctrine from the Old Testament. Jesus reveals the heart of the law and uses scripture to show the need for repentance and God’s mercy and grace. Jesus is preaching primarily to Jews who knew the scriptures. He says 6 times, “You have heard it said”, when referencing the Old Testament. He tells them He hasn’t come to abolish these laws but to apply them to their hearts and minds and expound their meaning.
Jesus is trying to move people from begrudging obedience and make them realize their sin and need for a savior. Paul beats this drum over and over throughout his letters. We know the law is good because God created it. We know that as Christians we are supposed to flee from sin. How do we know what is sin? The law of God. But Jesus says that it’s not enough to be righteous according to the letter of the law but the spirit of the law which governs our hearts and minds should be what directs us. We do this in faith that Christ took the punishment we deserve for our transgressions and that the Holy Spirit within us transforms us more every day allowing us to walk in it. We’re not saved by our following of the law; we follow the law as a fruit of our salvation. The Pharisees and religious Jews subverted the law of God by adhering strictly to the letter but losing the meaning. This is why Jesus continually calls them hypocrites. The Pharisees don’t follow God’s law, they use dirty lawyer tricks to give lip service to what it says but never paying attention to what it means.
This had been the case for hundreds of years. Isaiah continually tells the people of Israel that their sacrifice stinks to God and that they need to repent and do good. God says through the prophet Joel that Israel should rend their hearts and not their garments in repentance for their sin. Micah told Israel that God required justice, kindness and a humble heart before God more than a mountain of sacrificed rams or rivers of oil.The application of the law that Jesus gives in the sermon on the mount should not be revolutionary the prophets made it plain that God was after the hearts of Israel and was merciful and patient with them. Jesus is much more specific in His application of specific laws.
What Old Testament Laws are Jesus covering in this piece? The first is in the ten commandments. Exodus 20.
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” – Exodus 20:16
The commandment addresses the name of God, but Jesus says taking the Lord’s name in vain, or the Lord’s creations in vain is not permissible. Jesus further curses the Scribes and Pharisees for this very thing in Matthew 23. They would not swear by the name of God so they would not break the commandment by the letter. They instead would swear by heaven or earth or Jerusalem to gain similar gravitas to swearing by God while never specifically breaking the commandment. They weren’t obeying the commandment in faith they were looking for ways around it. Jesus calls them out for this and says if you swear by God’s throne you swear by the one who sits on it.He equates swearing by God’s great creations with the God who created them.
When Jesus says don’t swear by earth, heaven, or Jerusalem it’s because none of those great things belong to the person swearing. Even if you do own what you swear by it doesn’t make your word any more valuable. Jesus says swearing by your head won’t change the color of your hair.
It’s meaningless, stop trying to gain false credibility. God says He will not hold the person who uses His name in vain guiltless. Jesus says swearing by anything to bring credibility to your lies is just as bad.
What does this mean for us in worship? “Lord You have my heart”, “Jesus take my life”, “Let me be to you a sacrifice”. Did you not swear before God by your heart and your life. Did you mean it? And not just when the song was going, and it hit you right in the feels; does that vow carry enough weight and conviction to change the way you live your life with a heart turned towards Christ. Do you draw near to God with your mouth while your heart is far from Him? That is taking the Lord’s name in vain. That is making vain sacrifice to God without the heart required to make it mean anything. Do you swear your heart and your life as sacrifice to Christ without ever expecting Him to collect? These are not just songs we sing to make our cares from the week melt away. We offer them as praise to God, so we ought to sing them with integrity of heart and conviction. Feel the weight of that.
What does this mean for our prayer? The word Amen means “truly”. It’s said in agreement. It’s signing your name on the dotted line of what the person prayed. We pray in Jesus name. What are you doing but invoking the name of the Son before the Father. It’s the only way your prayer is heard, the only way it carries weight before The Father is because you come in the name of The Son. Your amen, better mean amen because it is in the name of Christ Jesus. Feel the weight of that.
What does this mean for communion? Jesus said, this is my body and my blood. The blood of the new covenant. The new promise, the new vow, the new oath. You enter this covenant by the blood of the son of God. Your salvation is a promise signed in the blood of Jesus by his suffering and death on the cross. We remember this promise with humble representations, but it could not be more eternally serious. Should we then not be serious about our faith in Him and what that means for every part of our life. This is not something that God entered into lightly, this is something he has foreseen before the creation of the world.Feel the weight of that.
God bears witness to these things, but to love our brothers and sisters well we keep this commandment for their sake. Bearing false witness is the breaking of a vow. This is courtroom language; I don’t know if they still make you put your hand on a Bible or not but when you give testimony as a witness to a crime or an alibi you make a vow to be truthful before God. Perjury comes with penalties. In this case they could be akin to blasphemy. If you swear by God that your testimony is true, when you lie you impugn the name of God. Which brings us to Leviticus 19:12.
“You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:12
Not only will God hold you accountable for the false vows you take in His name but says if you break them, you profane His name. You make yourself a liar and dishonor the name of God.
The Hebrew word used for profane here is “chalal”, which means to bore or pierce with the intent to make hollow. When you use the name of God in vain and swear falsely by Him you hollow out and remove the worth and power of that sacred name. Your aim is to make your promise appear solid but put under any pressure it is crushed, proving it to be hollow and meaningless.
The final Old Testament law Jesus expounds on is Deuteronomy 23:21-23 which He quotes from.
“21If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth.” – Deuteronomy 23:21-23
To break a vow or delay in completing your end of it is sinful, but you are not guilty if you didn’t promise. Let’s not become Pharisees by never promising. You can be guilty of sin even if you don’t have a binding agreement. If you could have helped someone and didn’t or implied that you would and didn’t, you may not be breaking a vow but you’re not living out God’s word either. Mean what you say and do what you’ve have said, because God always holds you accountable.
Jesus says “take no oath at all” but that’s not even the end of the sentence. He says take no oath heaven, earth, or Jerusalem. All grandiose things that you’ve made meaningless, let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. Be a person of integrity that can be relied on to do what they’re called to do. Our words should carry their own weight. Don’t promise great collateral if you fail. If people know you will fulfill what you have promised, then the collateral is unnecessary. Your word is currency. Proverbs 10:9 says,
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”
If you walk in integrity, you don’t over promise or under deliver. The more your word proves to be true the more it’s worth. Blessing is poured out upon people who obey this commandment. Your opportunity will increase if you can be trusted. With increased opportunity comes increased value which increases monetary blessings in business, or closer fellowship with the saints. When you council truthfully, when you show up when called upon, when you follow through on plans you will have tighter knit friendships and family bonds. You will be blessed spiritually with a closeness to God. You will pray about your yeses and nos. You will understand your spiritual gifts, you will see how God directs your steps. Blessings cascade into all areas of life if you obey the commands of Christ in all areas of life.
The opposite is true for those who swear falsely. When you don’t come through, you will be kept at arm’s length. You will lose friends and fellowship if you can’t keep confidence. You will stop being invited to things if you continually cancel last minute. You will stop being offered work if it’s not done well or on time. These curses cascade into all parts of your life if you don’t obey Jesus.
People who have canceled last minute or failed to meet a commitment are the ones who say, “I swear to God, I’ll do better next time”, or “I swear on my mother’s grave that this time is different”. They don’t have the freedom of just saying yes or no because of their past failings. They’re forced to add qualifiers on to carry the weight your word couldn’t on its own.
When extra words are unnecessary, we glorify God because we imitate Him. Our God is the God of covenant. He made one with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israel, David… A covenant is an agreement, a promise, a vow, an oath. God always keeps His promises, He always fulfills His side of the bargain, He accomplishes all He sets out to.
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” – Numbers 23:19
“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,” – Deuteronomy 7:9
“My word that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:11
God’s character does not allow for broken promises. Do we believe that God’s yes is yes, and no is no? When He says He gives rest to the heavy laden is His yes, yes? When He says the wicked will be punished and the children of the righteous will prosper is His yes, yes? When He says everyone who calls upon His name shall be saved is His yes, yes?
Christ Jesus is the same, yesterday today and forever. His word will never pass away. If you call upon His name in faith His Holy Spirit will dwell within you and transform you into the image of Christ, empowering you to emulate God’s character. The unrepentant sinner does not want to keep covenant and live by his promises. He wants to take the easy way out; he wants to convince you he’ll do something then back out. Those who have turned to Christ obey Christ to make much of His name. They don’t make frivolous promises that profane the name of God. Christians work in the will of God; with the gifts they’ve been given to move God’s kingdom forward. Their yes is yes, their no is no, their eyes are set on Jesus. They understand they are accountable to God whether they swear by His name or not, so they do all things as unto Him.