JP30: YES OR NO WILL DO

A popular brand of motor oil filter a few years back used the phrase - “Pay me now, or pay me later”  in their TV advertising.

A trusted mechanic, sliding out from under a broken down car, held up the filter and said, “Pay me now…(because a filter is not expensive), or pay me later” (when you’ll need a lot more money to replace a worn-out engine).  

Changing engine oil is a simple car maintenance task but hard to do these days.  The car goes up on a lift, coveralls  worn, oil drained, the old filter is replaced by a new one, and the old oil disposed of properly.    Simple, but hard for do-it-yourselfers in the age of quick.

Telling the truth is simple, but some church people back in Jesus’ day found it challenging.  And, instead of leading people toward the truth, their leaders were guiding people into falsehood, creating a variety of oaths designed to validate a person’s truthfulness.

Jesus addressed the situation in the following from Matthew’s Gospel.

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:33-37

People were making truth claims and adding swears by heaven, earth, and the city of Jerusalem to validate themselves.  It was just big talk and, according to Jesus, unnecessary.

Decide To Be Honest

Jesus says that a simple yes or no will do.  No need for elaborate schemes on truth-telling, just be truthful.  

How do simple things become so tough?  Telling the truth is simple, but religious people made it hard.  So hard that they needed written instructions to validate their system of mistrust.  But why do you think it is so hard?  Because telling the truth is a matter of the heart.  

Rest In God’s Sovereign Love

The heart that rests in God’s sovereign love can tell the truth and leave the consequences up to God, who sees and knows.  But, with religious people, the focus is on outward stuff like rule-following and keeping up appearances.  They validate their spiritual lives by worldly definitions of success.  Inflated numbers and the cutting edge impress on earth but not in heaven.  

The pursuit of material success blinds to reality. Then, truth is traded for manufactured publicity, familiar voices from echo chambers, and bios full of material accomplishments.  All of these mask what is real about us. It doesn’t have to be that way.

As an antidote to this unchecked attitude in the early church, Paul performs some spiritual house cleaning in the passage below.  

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  Here there is no Gentile or Jew,  circumcised or uncircumcised,  barbarian, Scythian, slave or free,  but Christ is all,  and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves  with compassion, kindness, humility,  gentleness and patience.    Bear with each other  and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:8-13

Put On The Character Of Christ

Living by the truth is like changing the oil in your car.  We can tell the truth now at the small cost of pride and station or later when everything that was hidden is brought into the light by Jesus.   Living by the truth starts when we put on the character of Christ exhibited by love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. This way, when all eyes are on you, a simple yes or no will do.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for this reminder to always be truthful.  I’m glad that I can trust you with the truth and that you will supply grace and mercy in times of need.  Teach and empower me to put on the character of Christ so that I can live by a simple yes or no.  Amen.

A Simple Yes Or No Will Do: The Simplicity Of Truth Telling

1. Decide To Be Honest

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Ephesians 4:22

2. Rest In God’s Sovereign Love

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

3. Put On The Character of Christ

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Romans 13:13-14

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash