2/5/23 - Keep Your Word - Matthew 5:33-37 - Pastor Jason Fritz

This Sunday we arrive at a command from Jesus that applies to all of us because we all speak. We all make promises and commit ourselves to things, places, and times. As a result, people are counting on us to do what we say. In general, humanity is not very good at keeping its word. Isn’t this the reason we have legal contracts? Because we are prone to breaking our promises we must get the weight of law involved…or else!

Some people are very good at using language to get themselves out of a sticky situation. For example, I heard a Christian apologist talk about the instructions you’re given before the plane takes off the runway. If you recall, there are specific words used to describe what you cannot do to the smoke detector in the lavatory. 

“It is a federal offense to knowingly move, deface, damage, destroy, render inoperable or otherwise improperly tamper with any smoke detector.”  

Why can’t they simply say, “Don’t touch the smoke detector.” Here’s why - because some crafty person has said, “I didn’t touch it, but I did damage it with this screwdriver.” Or, "I didn’t damage it, but I did disable it and you never told me I couldn’t do that!” The idea is simple - don’t do anything that would cause the detector to stop working properly. I learned they had to incorporate the words "render inoperable" because some smokers were taking wet paper towels and covering the lavatory detectors. However, they did not destroy or damage it. To do this is a federal offense and so is first degree murder! People find ways to get out of their promises and why legal contracts can be very lengthy. We have to make sure every loophole is closed so that things cannot be manipulated. A verbal agreement does not matter, we must have ink on paper with witnesses for an agreement that can be legally enforceable. Why? Because we humans can be very good at intentionally deceiving each other. 

But there’s more. When God’s people say one thing and do another, it brings great harm to their Christian witness. This is why Jesus speaks directly to it. Let’s remember that the words of Jesus bring life. So we would expect our lives to improve when we do what he commands. Our words shape who we are. The promises we make and break directly affect our reputations and therefore influence the strength or weakness of our relationships. So join us for more wisdom as we hear from Jesus as he preaches on the side of a hill just above the Sea of Galilee.