Matthew 23:16-22

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! 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 temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it." Are you someone who can be trusted? Are your words and actions written in pencil or ink? Do you feel the need to make a hard sales pitch in order to make people believe in what you say, or do you receive the benefit of the doubt because your high countenance precedes your actions? These are a few simplistic, metaphorical ways of describing the point that Jesus is making to the scribes and pharisees. Vows, oaths and promises are not bound by the objects they are made upon so as to leave room for annulment. Rather, they are bound by God because one cannot make a pledge upon anything that is not the creation of God Almighty. At first glance, this passage of Matthew could be easily glossed over. It seems like Jesus could more easily say, "Take what you say seriously and be accountable for it." But I believe Jesus is driving a stake directly into the heart of the matter because the issue of trust is absolutely foundational in all aspects of life. Consider Isaiah 26:4 which states, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." I love this verse because it not only answers the question of who we should trust, but why. For greater context, Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary defines a "rock" as figuratively a defense; means of safety; protection; strength; asylum; a firm or immovable foundation. Therefore we are safe to assume that when we add Webster's definition of "everlasting" (i.e. eternal; existing or continuing without end; immortal), we begin to realize that we can rely upon the Lord God unconditionally and without hesitation for He is the ultimate foundation to build our lives upon (2 Timothy 2:19). It is amazing to research how the term everlasting is used in Scripture. For instance, the Lord God made everlasting covenants with His people (Genesis 9:16, 17:7-8, 48:4; 2 Samuel 23:5; 1 Chronicles 16:17; Psalm 105:10; Isaiah 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40, 50:5; Ezekiel 16:59-60, 37:26), He brought people and nations to everlasting ruin and shame (Psalm 9:6, 78:66), He sits upon the throne of an everlasting kingdom (Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:3), and His name through Jesus Christ is referred to as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). These are simply not terms to describe one who cannot be depended upon. They are names that reveal who God is, what He is capable of as our Sovereign creator, and why He can be depended upon throughout eternity. The point I am trying to make is that God can be trusted because not only does His love endure forever, but He is an everlasting rock. So if you feel compelled to be a man/woman that is trustworthy and who can be entrusted with great possession or responsibility, how do you fare as an everlasting rock? Would those in your sphere of influence perceive you as a means of safety, protection and strength without end, trustworthy of the vows, oaths and promises you make? This is a loaded question because from a discussion of trust comes the need to examine the virtue of character, which again draws us back to the nature of God himself. "For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:16-18). I pray that you are beginning to understand as I am that our model of character, out of which comes our ability to be trusted, is found completely in the Lord God. It seems logical (and assumingly understood), but now we have a greater construct and perspective to work with when we begin to understand the nature and character of God, knowing what it means to put off our Pharisaical tendencies and die to Christ. We must be willing to experience the glory of being found trustworthy but also the persecution for it as well. For as the Apostle Paul states, "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4). Therefore we must understand that the sanctifying process of being made righteous comes through persecution. Jesus encourages us: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10), but he also warns us: "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). In other words, there is great blessing for being a man/woman of character and trustworthiness but also an inevitable weight of persecution that comes with it. Be encouraged though! For if we unconditionally love as unto Christ in the face of persecution, we bear witness to the world that we are His disciples (John 13:35) and worthy of being trusted. All that being said, we must return to the object of Christ's intention in Matthew 23:16-22 that our oaths should be made only unto God, for we must choose this day whom we will serve (Joshua 24:15). The application for that practice is found simply in Matthew 5:33-37..."Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one."