I Swear I'll Be Good

Matthew 5:33-37  “Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. 


My remembrance of my youth and that of my brothers was of frequently saying to my mother, "I swear I'll be good." Even with Marsha I could be found to say I promise one thing or another, kind of like an oath. In court witnesses always had the swear on the Bible a vow to, "Swear to speak the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God." 


 I do like the idea that our yes should be yes and our no should be no and that is that. If I've lived in such a way that my word is my word than I shouldn't need to add power to any statement by some kind of oath. People should be prepared to take my yes as yes and my no as no because experience tells them they can count on it.


Marsha used to ask me how she looked. I'd say "You look nice honey." Her response, "Oh your just saying that." I have been bothered by the fact that at times people want us to make a promise or swear to something not because they have reason to doubt us, but rather that they have been taught not to trust the word of others. It is as if I have been labeled a liar because other people are liars. What a great world it would be if we could trust what other people said.


Well then let your yes be yes and your no be no!!