On oaths: let your yes be yes
Say what you mean
Be someone whose plain word is enough.
Key points
- What it means: People swore oaths to prove they were telling the truth this time.
- Try this: This week, don’t agree to anything you don’t actually intend to do.
- The good news: God’s yes to you doesn’t change. Every promise of God is “Yes” in Jesus.
What he said
“Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’”
Matthew 5:37
Find it: Matthew 5:33–37
Read Matthew 5:33–37
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’ 34 but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
What it means
People swore oaths to prove they were telling the truth this time. Jesus says: don’t need them. Be honest all the time, so your simple yes or no can be trusted.
At work
- Under-promise and deliver. Reliability builds more trust than any pitch.
- No fine print designed to trick. No “technically true.”
With people
- Saying no when you mean no is honest. A resentful yes isn’t kind; it’s a small lie.
The hard part
In a yes-culture, a plain no can cost you. Jesus never said honesty would be free.
Try this
This week, don’t agree to anything you don’t actually intend to do.
Go deeper
The good news
God’s yes to you doesn’t change. Every promise of God is “Yes” in Jesus.
Nobody lives this perfectly. How to read it