Sermon on the Mount
“And nothing but the truth”
I was about 18 years old and working as a clerical cadet in the Dept of Labour in Nelson. I was working with several others in an office that was adjacent to the public area where people came to register for employment. Suddenly the door to the office where I was working flew open, and one of the employment officers rushed in, in a state of absolute panic. A client was having an epileptic fit. "Phone Lindsay!!" she yelled. I phoned Lindsay, the staff 1st aid person. I told him we needed him now - but he wouldn't believe me. About 15 minutes or so later, he sauntered down the stairs just to be certain. By then the ambulance had been and gone and taken the person to hospital. Staff wanted to know why he hadn't come down sooner. The reason? "I couldn't believe Geoff. I thought he was having me on." That experience had a profound effect on me. I felt so powerless. I wasn't lying, but he thought I was.
Lying. What's the biggest lie that someone else has told you? What's the biggest lie that you have told someone else? Maybe we ought to put things more positively. What is either the biggest promise made to you; or that you made to someone else? Was the promise kept? Promises, lies and broken promises litter the Biblical story. From Adam and Eve lying; to Cain pretending he doesn't know where his brother is; Abraham and Jacob lying about not being married to supposedly save themselves; David lying to secure Bathsheba; Peter lying about not knowing Jesus; Ananias and Sapphira lying about money etc.
Lying is such a part of life, and there are so many variations and scales of lying, and because we all do it to some degree or the other - whether we admit it or not - it is quite a maddening and even frustrating topic to consider. And this is now the topic the Sermon on the Mount addresses!
At this point, let's make an agreement. Let's decide for the next short while, as we take in the words of Jesus that we'll keep it simple. Let's suspend the ethical dilemmas about situations such as "Would you lie if someone's life was in danger?" Let's just take these words of Jesus to heart in an uncomplicated way. Yes - ethical dilemmas do exist. But to begin engaging with them immediately is to actually illustrate the reasons why Jesus was even talking about this issue. It can be a way of putting up smoke screens and avoiding truthfulness. Jesus was speaking into situations and practices whereby people would manoeuvre so they had an out when they made a vow or promise. The words of Jesus here are not saying people ought never make a vow, or swear an oath. However, some groups do take these words to mean just that and will refuse to testify in courts and the like.
Remember, the Sermon on the Mount is describing life in the light of the Kingdom of God breaking in. It is describing, indeed calling people to a way of life that is radical. A way of life that is based on love and concern for others and honouring of God. So Jesus draws attention to the practice of making a promise or the like, by appealing to something other than yourself. And there is a graduated scale of authority if you will. Starting from the greatest to the smallest;
- Heaven
- Earth
- Jerusalem
- Yourself
Now it's all a bit convoluted, but the practice of the day was to appeal to "heaven", "earth" or "Jerusalem" - but not actually evoke the Name of God Himself. In fact, it became quite complicated. While swearing by heaven, earth or Jerusalem was not binding - if you swore toward Jerusalem, it was. While each of these places comes close to God, the thought was "If I base my promise on something "lower" than God, then I have an out. There's not quite the weight behind it or the consequences if I break my word." This was gamesmanship.
To make a promise based on heaven, earth or Jerusalem was a sneaky attempt to put some distance between you and the promise. It was a way to not tell the truth! There was a maze of if's, but's and maybe's when an oath was taken. But Jesus cuts right through it all by declaring an obvious point, but one which is frequently forgotten. "God being God is everywhere and knows everything."
In reciting the various avenues of appeal - Jesus ticks them all off:
- Heaven is God's throne
- Earth is His footstool
- Jerusalem is His city
- You are His creation
It's ridiculous to act as if these "courts of appeal" are somehow devoid of God. Later the Gospel of Matthew challenges the way the Pharisees arranged all of these kinds of games.
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it." (Matthew 23:16-22, NRSV)
"You're hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, 'If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that's nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that's serious.' What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: 'If you shake hands on a promise, that's nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that's serious'? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless. " (Matthew 23:16-22, The Message)
The challenge of the Sermon on the Mount? Live truthfully. The Sermon on the Mount is describing a way of life. It is discipleship that takes seriously the presence of God. Isa 66:1-2 says:
" Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is my resting place? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:1-2, NRSV)
"Followers of Jesus know the truth (1 Jn 2:21; 4:6; 2 Jn 1:1) and tell the truth (Jn 19:35). But more profoundly, disciples are "from the truth (1 Jn 3:19) and "in the truth" (2 Jn 1:1); the "truth abides in [them]" (1 Jn 1:2). They are made holy, or sanctified, in the truth (Jn 17:17)." (Stassen and Gushee)
So it is redundant to play games by swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or by myself - thinking it is less than a promise that God would hold me accountable - because God has created all, and is in all. It's pointless appealing to these things as if they somehow make the promise conditional. To avoid telling the truth or acting truthfully. Jesus' counsel is that a simple and straightforward "yes" or "no" ought to be enough. If a disciple of Jesus lives in a way whereby they have an appreciation and awareness that they are in the presence of God (always); if they live with a constant sense that God is near - why would they need to appeal to something or someone else to convince another person that their word is true? Unless they were - maybe - looking for an out. Unless they were - maybe - trying to be careful in what they were saying so that it would be ok to not follow through.
The Sermon on the Mount is advancing a vision here. Jesus is making a call to those who would profess His Name. What if Christians were to live in a way whereby if they simply said something - that would be enough? What if they were to live and act that way and others knew there was no reason to distrust them?
Now - maybe already you might be thinking "But all this talk about swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or my head doesn't actually connect. Ok - maybe as a kid I might have said 'Cross my heart and hope to die'; or sometimes may have said something like 'I swear that I'll do it. I'll swear on the Bible' or something. But never actually meant it like that. Generally - I tell the truth and my word is good. I don't appeal to other things or people…" Really?
I suggest that we can easily develop blindspots in our truthtelling. Or lying. Instead of swearing by the list in Matt 5 - we are somewhat more sophisticated. We won't avoid telling the truth or acting truthfully by swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or our head - we'll instead supposedly act truthfully by appealing to other supposed authorities. Like - "I couldn't tell him that! He's my friend." "I'm not saying anything to her because I don't want to hurt her feelings." "They wouldn't understand." "It's not that simple. What about if [and a difficult ethical dilemma is cited]?" To condition your word and version of the truth in these, and many other ways, is to subtly mislead and deceive. Jesus' words about "yes" and "no" and that anything more is from the evil one is to point to the terrible webs we can weave in withholding information, or following through on our words in ways that are not straightforward. We become complicated and conspirators and satan gains a foothold in our lives; through our deception. We become used to developing systems of telling the truth according to heaven, earth, Jerusalem and "my head" - depending on the situation - and we are not living truthfully. Not living as kingdom people.
This is a call to live truthfully and transparently because we take to heart the words of Jesus not only that our word ought to be straightforward, but that God is here. That to live truthfully and transparently is an acknowledgement of our relationship with Christ and that we live with reverence to Him and respect of others. I guess there can be a danger with this. People might think - "Fine! You want the truth you can have the truth." And they become blunt and brutal with it.
Remember - truth sets people free. Truth is joined at the hip with grace. It's not a license to get things off your chest and let someone have it.
It is about truthfulness, transparency and trustworthiness.
Presented By: Rev. Geoff New