Release Stilted Promises and Ideas
by Rev. Cory Coberforward
Readings
Matthew 5:33-37
“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.
Psalm 4:2-5 (responsive reading)
How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.
Read the written message below with music videos
Christ’s words about never making oaths or promises can be a bit unsettling. We should never make a promise? What about promises already made? That’s why I think it’s no accident that he couches these statements between telling men of the time that they shouldn’t divorce their wives, and a missive on staying non-violent. He wasn’t trying to encourage us to “do whatever we want,” but instead, to let go of our calcified assumptions. To let go of the oaths and endorsements that only continue our blindness and suffering.
What is an oath? An oath is an affirmation that we will be or do something, or it can be a declaration that something has happened in a particular way. Throughout the teachings of the sages, including Christ’s, there’s an emphasis on letting go of preconceived notions and allowing the structures in our lives find greater flexibility and intuitiveness. Jesus’ direct words against making promises speak to this trend, even if we find them to be a bit jarring. They are meant to be jarring, as it is our calcified view of how things should be that Christ is striving to break up.
We might think in response to this, “But what about all the helpful promises in my life?” However, if we’re honest with ourselves, the best a promise can be is a hope and an expression of our current sense of dedication. We may eventually break an oath, such as a marriage vow of life together until death, but for a time we were dedicated to upholding it. We may promise to do something, but plans can easily fall through.
We can think of Christ’s words as expressing his understanding that promises are already flexible, fleeting things. He also understood that truth, intuitiveness, and wisdom in life ultimately come from within, not without. These things are our birthright from the Source at the root of all life, just as many traditions espouse. This is something we can only come to know when we let go of all the stilted judgments and ideas about how things “ought to be,” in life and in society. Even if elements of these ideas speak to something we think is good, our tight grasp on them keeps us from the peace, flexibility, and deeper knowledge of our very life.
Christ’s teachings about promises can seem a bit funny in the wake of all the commandments in the Bible or even his direct teaching in the gospel. But as we found today, often Jesus’ pointings are meant to help us uncover our natural state, the heart of Truth that the gospels spring from. And because of that, there are also more practical elements thrown in to help us not get distracted. “Oh! He said to never make a promise – I’ve been wanting to escape my wife!” In Christ’s words against divorce preceding our reading today in Matthew 5, he was letting his male listeners know that his next words about oaths weren’t giving them cart blanche to escape their responsibilities (a privilege and power that only men were granted at the time), but to help them turn to the intuitive wisdom and decision-making of the Spirit within.
What’s interesting is that this wisdom helps us out in all aspects of life and society. The more a judge presides from just the letter of the law and not its sentiment, the worse their judgments. The more a scientist rejects certain ideas out of hand or is set on any one assumption, the less of a scientist they truly are. The more we agree or disagree with a certain political party without introspection, research, and intuitive insight, the more we contribute to political infighting, demagoguery, and blindness. The further we turn to concrete oaths and ideas in our thinking and living, the more we miss out on the true substance, intuitiveness, and gift of life.
And naturally, the more we are caught up in this kind of stilted “the way it should be” thinking, the harder it is to hear this message today. But, as Christ told us about living in our promises, that “is from the devil,” and there is actually a part of us that does get it. This part of us sees our devil at play. Yes, despite our misgivings, suffering, anger, judgments, or fear today, there is a core aspect of each of us that transcends these things.
This part of us is already peaceful, already open and intuitive. Indeed, it is so peaceful and loving that it will put up with our gravitation and identification toward our “devilish” minds for quite a long time. This “part” of us is actually our very core, the light of life itself. We can start to know it better by truly listening to the words of Christ, the Buddha, and others.
They tell us to let go of our tight ideas, our internal “promises,” and notice the space of our very being, the open light of our hearts. This also means forgiving ourselves and others for promises not delivered. What’s fascinating is that the more we can take a step back from the self-judgment, noticing it as it arises, the more we can be true to the heart of our promises.
Peace to you,
Cory