Oaths, or what we swear by

After Matthew 5:33-37 

Oaths, those words we speak

to intone, solemnly, the truth

of what will usher forth

from our mouths, pose 

a problem: they’re facilitated

by those organs of artifice

and falsehood, otherwise 

known as tongues.

 

We utter oaths to God,

Under God, as God is

our witness, and with

help from God. But then,

here he’s saying no

to oaths sworn to heaven,

no to oaths sworn to earth

(one’s a throne, the other’s

a footstool), and no to oaths

sworn on the basis of our own

self-described credibility and

expert opinion. 

 

Instead, consider the idea 

of no spoken oaths; let yes 

be yes and no be no. And 

instead, part two: live 

your life so that you’re

a living oath, a living testimony,

and no one needs to question

how truthful you are, or aren’t.

 

Photograph by Anna Sullivan via Unsplash. Used with permission.