claim 38
not swear - observe the truth and speak directly
also heard that said to the men, Thou shalt not swear falsely, but keep a Lord of their oaths. And I say unto you, that you do not swear either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, nor to the ground, because it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is a city of the great king, or his head will not swear, because you can not make even one hair white or black. So let your speech be: Yes - yes, no - no, because what else is, it's from evil. (Matthew 5:33-37)
J ezus teaches that truth is valuable. Everyone agrees with this, when others lie to us. Even the most relativistic professor who scoff at the university in the class concepts of truth, will react with indignation at inflated electric bill and immediately call the power company to report a complaint. And when he hears: "This is a mistake only of your point of view and not from our ", it does not find that funny.
For ordinary people the truth is valuable
truth is precious. Does your child swallowed a needle or not? Is this water is potable or not? Are you a friend or a spy? Do you keep a marriage vow, and you'll love me and respected, or whether you care only for money and sex? Does this plane is enough fuel to fly to the target, or should we turn? Do this operation after my condition get better or worse? Is the person calling the police gave a real address or not?
ridicule the idea of \u200b\u200btruth, usually those who have power - who must now rely not really to live. Despotic dictators do not really pay attention because they have the power to create desired for themselves the reality - the reality of the current through a short-lived moment in history. Professors at universities with standing may not care about the truth of academic classes, because they have sufficient authority and a sense of security, to entertain his students various academic games, and after returning to their homes need not be used in private life. However, for most people in this world the truth is important, and they will know it. Ultimately, the truth matters, because it depends on their lives.
"I came into the world to bear witness to the truth"
Jesus loves truth and hates deception. Confirmed the validity of the ninth commandment "You shall not bear false witness" (Mark 10:19), warned us that the "trick" comes from the heart and pollutes the man (Mark 7:21-22). Religious hypocrisy considered a form of lying devil (Matthew 23:15). He said that those who use piety as a cover for their evil, are the sons of the devil, "your father the devil and the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not the truth, because there is no truth. When he lies, he speaks from himself, he is a liar and the father of lies "(Jn 8:44). The lie comes from the devil, and those who turn away from the truth join forces with Satan.
In contrast, Jesus came into the world to reveal the truth about God and man and salvation, and about what is right and wrong. When at the end of his service he was tried, he said to Pontius Pilate: "I am born, and for this I came into the world to bear witness to the truth, anyone who is of the truth listens to my voice" (Jn 18:37). Pilate answered yes, how many modern cynics: "What is truth?" And then turned and left without waiting for an answer.
"I am the truth"
We know the answer, that he would give Jesus. He would say what he said earlier: "I am ... truth "(Jn 14:6). Jesus is the criterion of what is real, true, true and beautiful - in all what he is doing and what he says. When he speaks, in his words there is no error or falsehood. About himself, said: "He who speaks from himself, is seeking his own glory: but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him, this is sincere and there is no It unrighteousness "(Jn 7:18). When people do not want to believe his words, has not changed its teachings, to gain a better hearing. If people do not accept the truth, the problem was on the side of their unbelieving hearts, and not the truth. "As I tell the truth, I do not believe" (Jn 8:45). Jesus said that people turn away from the light, not because they consider them to lie, but because they love with the darkness (John 3:19).
before the ascension, Jesus promised to send us a helper, whom he called the Spirit Truth: "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father comes, will testify about me" (Jn 15:26). The Spirit of Truth will help us to know the truth and be transformed by it. That is why Jesus prayed before he passed away and asked the Father to the truth in their lives has been fruitful, "Sanctify them by Your truth, your word is truth" (Jn 17:17). This shows that for Jesus the truth is the greatest value, and that the desire to cheat, deception, and cunning speech is a pernicious evil.
Children's catwalks - crossing fingers and swearing
is not surprising that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus overturned the then subtle as to avoid the habit of telling the truth and failing to meet promises. Broken promise is a lie. Breaking the promise made under oath is called perjury. When I was a little boy joked to myself that crossing your fingers when making a promise means that there was no need to keep it. We also had his childish ways to emphasize the reliability of spoken words. We said: "May I drop dead if I lie."
Jesus did not accept any of that kind of runs - not crossing your fingers in order to avoid having his promise, or swearing. Here's what he said:
also heard that said to the men, Thou shalt not swear falsely, but keep a Lord of their oaths. And I say unto you, that you do not swear either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, nor to the ground, because it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is a city of the great king, or on your head you will not swear, because you can not make even one hair white or black. So let your speech be: Yes - yes, no - no, because what else is, it's from evil. (Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus in this passage requires two things:
first non-verbal free-range to meet the exemption from the oath,
second telling the truth in such a way that the swearing was unnecessary.
Tricks break promises
Exercise word, of which Jesus spoke, is swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem and the head przysięgającego. Apparently some people thought that the oath was not binding, if it was not connected to the call God to witness. So if you swear at the sky, the earth, on Jerusalem or on your head, then they do not respect their oaths, because making promises have not sworn at God. This evasive logic justified by the fact that only God can punish them for breaking the oath. Heaven, earth, Jerusalem and head of its own can not punish for it, so making oaths without calling a witness of God was not in their eyes bound.
Jesus rejected this kind of runs. He pointed to the fact that God in one way or another is behind every man's oath. Heaven is his throne, the earth the footstool of his feet, Jerusalem is the city. Even the head of a man controlling God, not man because it is only because of his providence hair on our head to change color. Therefore, the problem of man is contempt of God and truth. People believe that truth is irrelevant and can be manipulated according to your needs. They believe that God shows no interest in our truthfulness unless we call his name at the same time. Both of these things are wrong. The truth is incredibly valuable, and God is behind every part of the universe boils and is always interested in truthfulness of his creatures.
Avoiding the truth by belittling God
Jesus described the strategy used by the Pharisees and dodges Matthew's Gospel (Mt 23:16-22), expressing the sincere indignation:
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, is nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath. Fools and blind! For which is larger? Gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And: Who swears by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is bound by his oath. Blind! For which is larger? The gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? So who swears by the altar, swears by him and everything on it. And he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. (Mt 23:16-22)
hard to imagine, but the Pharisees themselves not only using this kind of runs, but teach others of those runs. Jesus said that the blind guides say (that is, teach others): "Whoever swears by the temple, is nothing. " Probably it was not a literal quotation, but rather the end result of what they said. In any case, Jesus was indignant at such a disdain for God and truth. Greater value for them was gold, than the temple of God. Valued more victims than the altar of God, heaven, than the God who resides in it. In all these unikach overlooked the fact that the holiness of heaven, the altar and the temple is based on their relationship with God. This fact, however, is irrelevant to those who are determined to find a way to justify falsehood.
In the next chapter take care of what Jesus asks us to escape from the variety of ways to avoid many commitments in life.
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