Today's Daily Lesson is from Matthew 5 verses 33 and 34:
33 “Again 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.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all."
If you are called to come and testify in a court of law, you will be asked to take an oath binding you to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. This is required because the courts know telling the truth is so exceptional in this world.
There was a lot of swearing and oath taking going on in Jesus' day too. When people were telling the truth would often swear by something - by heaven or earth or Jerusalem. When they really intended to do something they would make a promise. But when they were lying or not telling the whole truth then they wouldn't swear. And when they didn't know if they would really be able to do what they said they would hold on the promise. Oaths and promises then actually encouraged lying because so long as people hasn't sworn an oath or made a promise they didn't feel bad for not telling the truth and not fulfilling their commitments.
Jesus tried to change all that among his disciples by teaching them to stop all the swearing and oath taking and simply let their yes be yes and their no be no. He was teaching them to be accountable for what they said - for everything they said. He was imagining a culture among his people where truth telling and follow through were not extraordinary but absolutely what was expected. in other words, he was imagining a people whose word was their bond.
I'm sure those disciples didn't get it right all the time; but I bet they were changed as a people simply by trying.
I bet we would be too.
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