Yes or no is about me personally. My word is who I am, and Jesus wants me to focus on this. Yes, he is changing me, making me into the person he desires me to become as I say yes to him and no to that which moves me away from him. My yes or no is the center of my personal power and the place where I must submit to God. Coupling my vows to things more powerful and not under my control is evil because it is a lie. I cannot control anything outside of my ability to follow through on my commitments, and this alone is difficult enough.
Swearing by something rather than saying yes or no is also evil because it implies an intention to lay blame on something outside of my control if things don’t work out, not honestly thinking through the commitment or potential consequences. This is a sort of self deception, a lying to self, that can lead to confusion, mental illness, and spiritual problems. Jesus calls me to wake up, to think, to make a decision, and to face the consequences. No ‘fingers crossed behind your back’ when you make a promise. This section confronts that sort of behavior in the Pharisees and religious people of the day who had a hierarchy of commitment. This hierarchy of goodness is further confronted in the next two sections with the further addition the theme of going beyond expectations or self imposed limits.
Not Preoccupied with My Rights
As a follower of Jesus, I’m not to be preoccupied with my own rights. I am to look at all situations as an opportunity to exalt my Lord. The language here is extreme to cause me to think, not to emphasize pacifism or to serve as a way of governing a state or nation but to cause me to individually examine how I can take a very active personal role in advancing our Lord’s love. It begins with my yes.
The Follower of Jesus is to practice love to all, especially those I may not like or those that harm me. If I think about it, that is much easier than being religious like the Pharisees who agonized over who they would love and who they would not. Just love everyone. Besides, did I ever have an enemy that turned out to really be a friend? Did I have a friend which turned out to be an enemy? Just love everyone and let God take care of the rest. Yes or no?
This isn’t easy. That’s why I need Jesus everyday to live it. I need him to strip away the layers of self and pride which hold back the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read Matthew 5:33-47
- How important is it to me to keep my commitments?
- Can the people around me see Jesus in the way that I follow through on yes and the firmness of no?
- How is no sometimes the most loving and best answer?
- What is more important to me: my rights, being respected, or showing Jesus to those around me?
- Do I have a hierarchy of love in my life?
- How would things be different if I loved everyone the same?
- Who can I start loving today that I have viewed as an enemy?
Passage for Meditation All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes form the evil one. Matthew 5:37
Prayer
Father I confess that I often love those most that I like best, and I confess in doing so I have denied your power is us and your power to change them. Help me to actively love those around me who may anger, irritate, and harm me. When knocked down, help me to keep advancing to keep getting up for you. Help me to be a person of my word so that I glorify you with my yes and no.
