Making of Vows - Matt 5:33-37

                In Jesus’ day the making of vows was considered very sacred.  From our text we glean that there were four common vows people would make.  They would vow by heaven, the earth, the city of Jerusalem or by their own head.  If a person swears by heaven they must remember it is God’s throne.  If by the earth, it is His footstool and if by the city of Jerusalem it is the city of the great King.  This King would either be David or the Messiah,   They would also swear by their head.  Jesus made it clear that this was not acceptable because we can not add one hair or change the color at least now back then. 

                Jesus says that we should just say, yes or no.  Our word should be our bond.  People should be able to trust our word.  In the book called “Rob Roy,” the protagonist believed that a man was only a good as His word.  The Christian must be a person who stands by what they say.  The Bible teaches that we should keep our promises even to the point of personal sacrifice.  In the ancient world a person’s worth was measured by how they kept their word.  Jesus says you word should be enough and anything more than that comes from a heart that is evil.