Matthew 5:33-37 – Sermon on the Mount

[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, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, [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 take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. [37] Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil.

Background

Oaths were used as a way of adding solemnity to a promise. If I borrow your car and say “I swear I will bring it back unharmed”, I am taking an oath.  Taking oaths was a common practice in the ancient world in matters that were considered to be of high importance. Oath taking was allowed for in the Law of Moses, with stipulations that an oath should not be taken lightly but that the promised action should be performed. See Numbers 30:2. God himself is presented as taking oaths in Scripture.  See Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 7:15-22.

Commentary

Since God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2), he does not use oaths to certify his truthfulness in a matter of dispute, but rather to underline the solemnity of a covenant promise.

Fallen humans, on the other hand, are prone to deception (Psalm 116:11) and moral lapses (Proverbs 20:6) and are quite capable of misusing oaths to avoid keeping a promise.

The following excerpts from an online resource may be helpful

The Westminster Confession of Faith says oaths are appropriate only in “matters of weight and moment” (22.2). This reflects a biblical pattern wherein oaths are commonly associated with covenants (Gen. 26:3; Psalm 132.11). We should make vows only in matters of great and lasting consequence, such as marriages or court proceedings.

Understanding common first-century Jewish practices helps us see what our Savior was getting at in His teaching on oaths and vows. To keep people from breaking the law’s rules regarding our promises (Num. 30:1–2), Jewish teachers and leaders invented a system by which they could determine whether a vow had to be kept. Extrabiblical literature indicates that many rabbis did not consider it a sin to break a vow if it was not made explicitly in the name of God. Oaths made in the name of heaven or even the gold of the temple were not regarded as ultimately binding. As we might expect from sinners, this led to people making oaths by persons or objects other than God to give them an out in case they did not keep their word.

Taken from Jesus’ Teaching on Oaths by Ligonier MInistries, 2012.

Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees’ teaching on oaths bears out these points

Matthew 23:16-22 – Teaching of the Pharisees on oaths

[16] Woe to you, blind guides, who say, “If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.” [17] You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? [18] And you say, “If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.” [19] You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? [20] So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. [21] And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. [22] And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Discussion

• Do you think the Pharisees’ teaching on oaths encouraged truthfulness? Why, or why not?
• Consider Jesus’ concluding statement on this matter:
  Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil.
  (Matthew 5:37)
• What was he getting at?
• See Matthew 15:10-20, Psalm 51:6-10.  What kind of heart does God desire to form in us?.

Matthew 5:31-32

[31] It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” [32] But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

• This is another example of Jesus’ sovereign authority over the law as given by Moses.
  In every case where Jesus comments directly on the law of Moses, he zeroes in on the core issue – the response of the heart to God (see Matthew 5:20 ).
• The way the discussion is framed assumes that the initiative in divorce rests with the husband. This is a reflection of the culture of the times. However in today’s culture, in which divorce can be initiated by either party, the same principle applies to both husbands and wives.
• The Pharisees later questioned Jesus on this matter of divorce. His discussion with them adds powerful insight into the true intentions of the One who gave the law.

Matthew 19:3-6
[3] And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” [4] He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, [5] and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? [6] So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

• Why did the Pharisees ask Jesus this question?
• How did Jesus deal with this challenge?
• The standard Jesus sets for marriage is life-long faithfulness. What is his basis for this standard?

Matthew 19:7-9

[7] They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” [8] He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. [9] And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

• According to Jesus, why does the law of Moses allow for divorce?
• What does hardness of heart have to do with marital failure?
• What does Jesus mean by the statement from the beginning it was not so ?

Matthew 19:10-12

[10] The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” [11] But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. [12] For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

• How did Jesus’ disciples respond to this teaching? Restate their response in your own words.
• What does Jesus mean by saying only those to whom it is given [vs 11] ?
  See 1 Corinthians 7:1-7.
• Does Jesus view marriage as inferior to singleness?
• What is a eunuch?
• How do you make yourself a eunuch for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven [vs 12]? What might Jesus mean by this? See Matthew 5:29-30.

Prayer

Matthew 5:27-28

You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

[29] You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.”

• See Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18

[30] But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

• The Greek word translated lustful can also be used for positive desires. See Luke 22:15, 1 Timothy 3:1
• Some desires are good, some – if indulged – can lead to sin and destruction. See Luke 6:43-45, Mark 7:21-23, Job 31:1
• Attraction is not sin. Sin starts with the voluntary choice to make room for an illegitimate desire. See 2 Samuel 11:1-5, James 1:13-15,

Matthew 5:29-30

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

• What is Jesus’ point here?
• Is he literally recommending maiming ourselves? If not, what is he getting at?
• What happens to us if we indulge and make allowances for wrongful desires?
• What was David’s response when the prophet Nathan rebuked him for his sin with Bathsheba?  See 2 Samuel 12:7-15, Psalm 51
• How do we root out destructive desires?