Part of our ongoing Surrender All series through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7)
How honest are we, really?
Back in 1991, a study by James Patterson and Peter Kim found that 91% of Americans admitted to lying on a regular basis. Not major, life-altering lies — just the everyday stuff. The little white lies and half-truths that are so common we barely even notice them anymore.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” “No, you didn’t wake me up.” “The check is in the mail.” “I’ll be prayerful about that.”
Sound familiar? We’ve all said at least one of those this week.
We teach our kids to cross their fingers behind their backs. We say “cross my heart and hope to die” like there’s some magic phrase that makes one promise more real than another. From the earliest ages, we learn there’s wiggle room with the truth.
Jesus says there isn’t.
In this week’s message from the Sermon on the Mount, Minister Donny walks us through what Jesus had to say about oaths, honesty, and what it actually looks like to be a person of your word.
The Old Testament laid the foundation. Don’t misuse the name of the Lord (Exodus 20:7). Don’t lie or deceive one another (Leviticus 19:11-12). When you make a vow, keep it (Numbers 30:2). These were clear instructions — and the religious leaders of Jesus’ day found ways around every one of them.
The Pharisees had divided oaths into two categories: binding and non-binding. If you swore by God’s name, you were locked in. But if you swore by the temple, or the altar, or the earth — well, that one didn’t really count. It was an elaborate system of loopholes that let people sound honest without actually having to be honest.
Jesus wasn’t having it.
In Matthew 23, He calls them blind guides and blind fools. And then in the Sermon on the Mount, He cuts straight to the point: “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).
No crossed fingers. No fine print. No loopholes.
Jesus’ desire for us is that our character would be so strongly recognized by others that our words wouldn’t need any reinforcement to be believed. That when we say something, people know we mean it — not because we swore an oath, but because that’s who we are.
James echoes the same thing: “Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no, or you will be condemned” (James 5:12).
This doesn’t mean we can’t take a legal oath in a courtroom or pledge to serve in public office. Jesus Himself responded under oath when the high priest charged Him to answer (Matthew 26:63). The point isn’t that formal oaths are sinful. The point is that we shouldn’t need them in our daily lives.
The value of our words is directly proportional to the value of our character.
That’s the standard Jesus sets. Not perfection in some impossible, unreachable sense — but integrity. The kind of life where what you say and what you do are the same thing.
If you missed the service, the full message is right here. And if you’re catching up on the Surrender All series, this one is worth sitting with for a while.
Scripture References: Exodus 20:7 · Leviticus 19:11-12 · Numbers 30:2 · Deuteronomy 23:21-22 · Matthew 5:33-37 · Matthew 23:16-22 · Matthew 26:63 · James 5:12
