“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all . . . 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Jesus. Matthew 5:33-37. Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is Day 23 of 30 Days on the Mount of Blessing. Jesus was not talking about the judicial oath—or any other legal process for attesting to our honesty. What he was talking about is the authenticity of our daily conversation. About being people of truth, people worthy of trust. Integrity in our communications creates a climate where deep trust can flourish and is essential to the fabric of healthy relationships. As followers of a God who is always true to himself, Jesus reminds us to simply be true ourselves—not shifty and inconsistent. Truth-telling, by the way, isn’t just about me saying what’s true, it’s also being true to my commitments, being a person of integrity, a person contributing to a culture of integrity.
