From: Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
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Commentary:
33-37. The Law of Moses absolutely prohibited perjury or violation of oaths (Exo-
dus 20:7; Numbers 30:3; Deuteronomy 23:22). In Christ’s time, the making of
sworn statements was so frequent and the casuistry surrounding them so intri-
cate that the practice was being grossly abused. Some rabbinical documents
of the time show that oaths were taken for quite unimportant reasons. Parallel
to this abuse of oath-taking there arose no less ridiculous abuses to justify non-
fulfillment of oaths. All this meant great disrespect for the name of God. How-
ever, we do know from Sacred Scripture that oath-taking is lawful and good in
certain circumstances: “If you swear, ‘As the Lord lives’, in truth, in justice, and
in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall
they glory (Jeremiah 4:2).
Jesus here lays down the criterion which His disciples must apply in this connec-
tion. It is based on re-establishing, among married people, mutual trust, nobility
and sincerity. The devil is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Therefore, Christ’s
Church must teach that human relationships cannot be based on deceit and in-
sincerity. God is truth, and the children of the Kingdom must, therefore, base
mutual relationships on truth. Jesus concludes by praising sincerity. Throughout
His teaching He identifies hypocrisy as one of the main vices to be combatted
(cf., e.g., Matthew 23:13-32), and sincerity as one of the finest virtues (cf. John
1:47).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
First reading | 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 © |
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Psalm | Psalm 102:1-4,9-12 © |
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Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:18 |
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Or | Ps118:36,29 |
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Gospel | Matthew 5:33-37 © |
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