Covenant, not Oaths

And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 

Matthew 23:22

In the Bible, the Father has stressed the value of covenant.  But the tendency for humanity is to take oaths.  Why is that, and why does Jesus discourage oaths (Matthew 5:37)?

Covenants require two people, each one fulfilling their part of that covenant.  As an example, read Deuteronomy 27-29.  On the one hand, the people are to fulfill the covenant by being obedient to His laws.  On the other hand God promises to appropriate blessings for that obedience, and curses upon violations of that covenant.  The nature of the "transaction" (a base version of the idea) is entirely dependent upon each other - interrelated even.

An oath, however, is invoked by a single person and introduces a burden of obligation on themselves that they may or may not be able to fulfill.  Of note, often the oath is sworn by someone or something that had neither considered, nor chosen to be involved.

All throughout the gospel, Jesus' teaching revolves around relationships - relationship with God and relationship with one another.  He values it.  He even requires it.  But relationships (healthy ones) are hard.  They require investment of something more than material possession.  It requires communication, honesty, integrity, love - investments that are the resources of the Kingdom of Heaven.  When these things flow within the context of covenant, they create bonds that are priceless in the eyes of the Father of the heavenly lights.

When there is no relationship, oaths feed into deception.  It's the deception that we don't need another to fulfill our dreams, commitments or desires.  It's the deception that we can do it on our own.  This is the very same deception that leads many down the road of religiosity.  It's the deception that we can "achieve" heaven on our own.  It's the deception that we can remain in control of our own destiny.  It's the yellow brick road that leads to a feeble man behind a feeble curtain.

But lest we be deceived we all have that capacity, even propensity, to go down that trail of tears.  We must be on our guard to avoid that road, and if we do find ourselves among those briars we must find our way back to the true but narrow road.  It's not who we are anymore for those whom Jesus has known (Matthew 7:21-23), but we often forget; we are saved, but also in the process of being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18, 2 Corinthians 2:15).  And if we must call on others to help us find our way back to that true road, all the better, for it calls us to enter into covenant - to enter into relationship.

We are not wired to stand alone, so every oath is vain.  We must plug in to the Network that is the Kingdom of God.  Oaths are the solvent that separate us - that isolate us - from that domain.  Covenant is the glue that bonds us to that domain.

Remain in covenant.