“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:37)

In the time of Jesus, religious leaders taught that some oaths were binding and others were not, depending on what a person swore by. This created a system in which people could lie without guilt, as long as they followed the rules. It gave the appearance of reverence while making room for deception. Jesus rejected the entire framework. Truthfulness was not a matter of technical wording, but of moral integrity, and anything less belonged to the realm of false religion.

Jesus opposed the use of oaths to bolster statements. Even today, people casually say things like, “I swear I didn’t do it,” as if their word alone carries no weight. He called his disciples to a higher standard of integrity and verbal discipline. A righteous man does not need to swear to make his words believable. His words stand because he is trustworthy. A simple “yes” or “no” is enough.