Yes and No

Matthew 5: 33 - 37

Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Jesus turns to the practice of swearing oaths as the next example of "surpassing righteousness" (5: 20). The Old Testament did not prohibit swearing oaths, although it forbade using God's name to swear falsely, with the intention of not keeping the vow (Lev. 19: 12). Here Jesus was not so much forbidding oath swearing as he was addressing its abuse. It seems that people were swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or one's head and each kind of oath had a different level of accountability. It was a method devised by the Pharisees so that a person could be "righteous" even if he did not keep his vow, as long as the right type of oath formula was used. Jesus was merely pointing out that oaths are not necessary to ensure truth telling. The important thing is to keep promises, and to tell the truth at all times. Say a simple 'Yes' or 'No' rather than give answers that create a certain impression, and yet can be turned around when it comes to fulfilling them.

It has not been an easy week for me. I am still struggling with when and whether to speak up about the church issues. Many thoughts are going through my mind and some of the time, these thoughts do lead me to frustration and disappointment with others. Yet, by keeping them to myself and not seeking clarification, am I being truthful? How do I let my 'Yes' be 'Yes' and my 'No' be 'No' , rather than playing at niceness while not being honest? There is no easy answer. I do not want to give vent to my thoughts just to satisfy myself, while becoming a discouragement to others. "Speak the truth in love" is easier said than done. Anyway, I always believe that it is better to err on the side of caution than to just go ahead without enough consideration. I believe timing is important too. We humans tend to want to rush everything. There is no urgent need to speak up, unless I am trying to change other people's minds, which I am not. And the longer I keep these things in my heart, prayerfully, perhaps the more they will mature into loving truth, which can then be spoken.