In Truth Is Freedom

In truth is freedom. This is the gift that our lord desires to give us, freedom that is found in living your life in the truth. This, of course, means living your life with him who is TRUTH, but it also means dealing with everyone truthfully. There should never be an oath or promise required. When you speak, speak the truth. When you say you will do something, do it. When you say you will not do something, do not do it. If you live according to this simple formula, then you will enjoy profound freedom.

In Truth Is Freedom

Gospel - Matthew 5:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples:

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

Do not take a false oath,

but make good to the Lord all that you vow.

But I say to you, do not swear at all;

not by heaven, for it is God's throne;

nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;

nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

Do not swear by your head,

for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'

Anything more is from the Evil One."

Scriptural Analysis

Jesus sums up several Old Testament passages that allowed for the taking of an oath, provided that the path was true, “When a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Numbers 30:2) However, Jesus instructs the disciples not to take oaths, “do not swear at all.” On the surface, this appears to be a contradiction with the Mosaic law. However, upon close inspection, we can get to the heart of what Jesus is telling his disciples.

Oaths had become widely used in daily discourse. It had gotten to the point that it appears only an oath demanded truthfulness and commitment, while one’s ordinary word could be cheapened and discarded. However, God does not want one’s ordinary word to be lessened in value. He wants people to deal with each other in a trustworthy way, even when they are not under oath.

Oath swearing was usually done in the name of God. He was the guarantor of a person’s word. However, if one swore an oath in the name of God and broke it, that would be synonymous with taking the name of the Lord in vain, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” (Exodus 20:7). However, people began to work around this. To give the appearance of a solemn oath but not risk taking the name of the Lord in vain, they would swear by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or their head. However, Jesus shows how even substituting something for God is dangerous. He walks through each one of the “alternatives,” connecting each one back to God. Heaven is God’s throne. Earth is God’s footstool. Jerusalem is the city of the great King. As for one’s head, the very hairs of that head were made by God.

That is what Jesus means when he says let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’. If people would deal with one another truthfully in all situations, then any laws regulating oaths would become superfluous. There would be no need for oath swearing because the truth would always come forth.

Daily Application

The original sin of Adam and Eve was the sin of pride. Instead of humbly obeying God, they thought they could be like God. Pride is at the root of all sin. Ultimately, sin is a manifestation of pride. Consider what our Lord warns the people against today: letting your word be untrue.

What causes one to be deceitful or not speak the truth? Ultimately, it is pride. They are too proud to allow the truth to be spoken, fearing that people or the world will look upon them differently. They are fearful that they will be unliked or even unloved. What is often lost is that in doing so, one creates for oneself a prison. They are no longer able to be themselves, but instead must be what the world believes they are.

However, when one deals in truth, the walls of the prison are torn down, and one can be who they truly are, as there is nothing to hide. This creates a fantastic freedom. More than just freedom, however, it creates brotherhood. The bonds of friendship and love between people grow in truth. When you exhibit trust in someone, that trust is more often than not met with care and concern. You are not looked upon as less.

Now, I am not urging everyone to put the entirety of their lives on display for the whole world to see. Privacy is still good, and all mankind does not need to be invited into your life. However, for those people in your life, whether family, friends, or even the person you share coffee with at church on a Sunday morning, be truthful in your interactions. In this, great freedom becomes yours. You no longer have to worry about what you said to a particular individual as opposed to another individual. Only when your ‘yes’ means ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ means ‘no’ and the other words that come out of your mouth are true, can you truly be free.