Let Your Yes Be Yes
Tim Keller | February 14, 1993
Overview
As we look at the hard sayings of Jesus, we see in this passage that Jesus gives us a radical principle of truthfulness.
The whole Bible is built on covenants, public promises, observed words. So what does Jesus mean when he says to let your “yes” be “yes”? He can’t mean you can’t take oaths. What he does mean is actually something almost the opposite, that if you think you can separate and create levels of truthfulness, you’re wrong. Everything is observed. Every yes and every no is an oath.
Jesus is teaching us 1) the importance of truthfulness, 2) the nature of truthfulness, and 3) how you become a person of integrity.
Outline
Matthew 5:33–37
Jesus teaches us that being honest and reliable is essential. He questions the idea that it’s okay to break promises as long as we don’t use God’s name. Instead, He encourages us to simply say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, reminding us that every word we utter matters. He also introduces the idea that God is everywhere, meaning we should always act and speak with honesty and fairness.
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