Saturday, February 27, 2010

“Yes” and “No”

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:37

In dealing with what the Law has to say about the making of oaths,[1] Jesus repeats His earlier teaching. It is not the letter of the Law that counts. This can always be misconstrued. Devious minds will always find ways to wriggle out of their responsibilities. What really matters is that the spirit of the Law should be written on our hearts. So, this passage is not a total prohibition of oaths, it is a command to live honestly, with integrity, as befits those who claim to live according to the values of the Kingdom of God.

There is a curious parallel in our own day. Often, usually in the context of sports, a person will promise to give “110%” to the cause. Of course, this is not possible. One may only give 100% of one’s energy. This has not prevented athletes, in particular, from claiming outrageous percentages of effort. Once the logical maximum has been superseded there is no natural limit to the claims of those who wish to impress. 110% quickly becomes 150%. Others begin to join in. It is not uncommon, now, to learn that some under-performing superstar is going to give 3,000% in his next game. It would be better, if less dramatic, for him simply to say that he will do his best.

Grandiose claims are, too often, followed by elaborate excuses for failure. In fact, failure is often simply re-interpreted as success. Victory is wrung from the ashes of defeat. Weasel words enable their users to demonstrate that black is actually white, and white, black. Language is diminished. Words lose their meaning. We begin to drown in grey sea of half-truths and distortions.

However, before we point the finger at others and smirk knowingly at the disingenuousness of sport stars or politicians, we must acknowledge that we are cut from the same cloth. We will do whatever we can to avoid admitting failure; we will make outlandish claims in order to look good. For all of us, Jesus has simple words of advice, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’

Lord Jesus,
Your truth is beautiful. I do not need to embellish it.
Your ways are just. I do not need to whitewash them.
Your peace is without equal. It needs no false comparisons.
Guard our lips, Lord. May they speak Your Word of truth:
nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
Amen.

[1] Deuteronomy 23:21-23