The text for this sermon contains two often misunderstood teachings: the first is that we should never make oaths or vows, and the second is that we should not resist evil. These are strong statements that require us to look to other scriptures to help understand them. In doing so, we see that these statements have more to do with exposing the motives of our heart than they do with prohibiting making vows or resisting evil.

As with the entire Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses specific interpretations of the law that were either more restrictive or more lenient than what God’s law required. This led to practices that provided a false assurance of righteousness by justifying sin and making the law more attainable.  The Pharisees had taken God’s law and distorted it. These strong statements from Jesus are used to get their attention and reframe how they think about holiness and pleasing God. It has more to do with the heart than external adherence to the law.

The context for these rebukes from Jesus goes back to what he said in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” As Jesus addresses the making of oaths and the issue of retaliation, he gets to the heart of the matter: God is glorified when our obedience is motivated by the gospel.