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Adverts activity - What claims is the advert making? What is implied? Are they believable and why? Does the advert speak the truth?
There were once 3 umpires debating about their way of umpiring a cricket match. The first said ‘There’s no balls and there’s wides, I call them the way they are.’ The second said ‘No! That’s arrogant. There’s no balls and there’s wides, and I call them the way I see them.’ The third said ‘That’s no better, why not be realistic about what we do? There’s no balls and there’s wides and they’re nothing until I call.’
Those three represent very different views of truth. In the first truth in objective, in the second it’s relative and in the third there is no truth until the individual creates their own individual truth. We live in a world that is a curiously confused and dysfunctional mix of all three. And such a confused view of truth has affected our words.
Take the adverts you looked at, whenever we see an advert we have to weigh it for truth, for spin, for exaggeration. What would you call someone who simply believed every advert they ever saw or read?
But it isn’t only advertising we are suspicious of is it, it is politicians, official statistics, the media, even the stories people recount of their fishing trips. And when people are not believed or fear they may be doubted they try to verify what they will claim with on oath ‘I promise...’ ‘On my grandmothers life’ or whatever.
AM Hunter said ‘Oaths arrive because men are often liars’.
Truth is not just an issue in our society, truth has been an issue for every society since Genesis 3 because of sin. Jesus here compares and contrasts society and the kingdom and shows his disciples another mark of the counter cultural community.
1. Wasted Wordplay
The passage begins with a summary statement from Jesus as he collects together a number of sayings
from Torah - the Old Testament Law.
Exodus 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
Lev 19:12 "Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD."
Num 30:2 "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said."
Deut 23:21 "If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin."
The law was straightforward, as Jesus summarises it we see there was nothing intrinsically wrong with the law itself. What did it say you had to do? Keep any oaths or promises you made, be careful how you use God’s name.
But by Jesus day again the loophole legalists had been at the law and perforated its simple demands for honesty. The demand that you keep your word had been manipulated and spun and massaged so much that there was a whole section of Jewish teaching given over to elaborate tables of what made a binding oath and what didn’t. What mattered was not that you promised but how you worded that promise.
Perjury was not the issue but profanity was, what mattered wasn’t dishonest pledges but profane use of God’s name. Only those formulas which included the divine name were binding. So swearing by heaven and earth was not binding, nor was swearing by Jerusalem. Oaths no longer guaranteed truthfulness but covered up deceit.
But do you see how Jesus cuts through this wasted wordplay. His point is that all oaths are bind because all oaths invoke God, because God is the creator of everything. So if you swear by heaven you involve God because...? it is his throne. If you swear by earth you invoke God’s name because...? it is his footstool. Jerusalem is his city and even if you swear by your own head you invoke God’s name because God made you and has authority over you.
Do you see what he is saying, all the wordplay is wasted, every oath involves God therefore every oath is binding no matter how it is worded. Every broken oath is a sin.
2. The Kingdom of Truth
In contrast Jesus says don’t make oaths at all instead how are those who are in the kingdom to
live? "All you need to say is simply 'Yes,' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the
evil one."
As disciples we enter the kingdom of truth by the truth and we are to live in the truth. Simply our ‘yes’ is to be ‘yes’ and our ‘no, no’. We will be know as people who do not need to lie, as those whose word can be trusted.
Where does Jesus say lying and deceit comes from? ‘The evil one’ or ‘from evil’. Truth marks the kingdom, lies mark the devil. Turn back to Genesis 3, in Gen 1-2 the perfect world is built on God’s word and truth. But in Gen 3 we see lies introduced, first of all Satan tempts Adam and Eve to doubt God’s word then he lies "You will certainly not die... you will be like God..." And from then on truth is no longer the default mode, from then on spin and excuse and appearance battle with truth.
Satan is a liar and a deceiver he always has been and lies and deceit mark those who are his, in contrast God’s kingdom people prize truth, because they treasure God and the gospel.
It can be helpful to expose the sin behind the sin. Whether or not we speak the truth or not is a heart issue, Why do we lie or exaggerate? To get ourselves out of trouble, or to make ourselves seem better than we are, or to avoid embarrassment. Do you see the sin behind the sin - it is idolatry of self. Our lying is all about self being the most important thing in my heart - my reputation, my standing, getting what I want, ensuring I stay out of trouble. Or it can be to do that for someone else we love or care for, it is their reputation.
But for the disciple God is their greatest treasures because they live aware of what he has given to save them. And so they are liberated from the need to lie but will instead speak the truth.
The disciples word has been proven to be reliable and truthful to such an extent that there will never be a need for oaths because his or her integrity is unchallenged.
Where does this challenge us?
God’s people are to be perfect as he is perfect, we are to care for what he cares for, to treasure what he values. We are to speak truth, to be know as people of integrity. Imagine how that would stand out in the workplace, in the neighbourhood at the school gate.
To be the one whose mileage claims are known as totally accurate, who will not massage or adjust or fudge figures or analysis. To take the blame when it is our fault without looking to make excuses, or blame others. But simply to let our yes be yes and our no, no.
And what liberates us to do so is that God is our greatest treasure and he has made us his people. People whose word can be trusted.