1. Jesus’ Teaching on Oaths Compared to the Law
Pastor David Jang, reflecting on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:33-37, highlights the thoroughness and depth of Jesus’ “antitheses” regarding the Law. In this passage, Jesus says, “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” (Matt. 5:33-34). This command goes a step beyond the Old Testament Law, which instructed, “When you swear by the Lord, do not make a false oath and be sure to fulfill it.”
At that time, the Jews were passionately devoted to keeping the Law, and “oath-taking” was treated as a solemn act of the highest moral value. For example, if someone said concerning a matter, “I swear by the Lord,” it meant they could absolutely not lie. However, as people began to use oaths more and more to strengthen their own positions in various situations, the weight and sacredness of oaths were diminished. It was against this backdrop that Jesus taught, “Do not swear at all.” In other words, “Swearing lightly shakes the very foundation of the community; it is better not to swear at all. Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matt. 5:37).
Pastor David Jang explains that Jesus’ teaching here further underscores the same point the Law made: “Do not make false oaths; if you do make an oath, you must keep it.” If the Law proclaims the gravity of an oath, Jesus teaches that you should neither make such vows carelessly nor fail to keep them if you have already made them—even at the cost of your life. Especially in the words, “Do not swear by heaven, or by earth, or by Jerusalem, or by your head,” Jesus reminds us that everything we consider as a basis for an oath ultimately belongs to God. Humans cannot even change the color of a single hair on their heads; these things are essentially beyond our power, so one must not casually invoke them in an oath.
This “antithesis” from Jesus is a call not merely to outwardly keep the Ten Commandments but also to guard their spirit and the inner motivation of our hearts. Just as the last commandment (“Do not covet your neighbor’s possessions”) deals with the sin that arises in one’s heart, Jesus raises the bar of the Law by telling us not to sin even in our thoughts. For instance, regarding the command “Do not commit adultery,” He says that if you look at a woman lustfully, you have already committed adultery in your heart. Therefore, an oath must also be guarded from within; once made, it becomes an absolute promise that must not be broken.
The same principle applies to Christians today. Pastor David Jang stresses that every promise or vow made both inside and outside the church—especially those made before God—carries immense weight because they are established by the “blood of the covenant,” and thus cannot be easily rescinded. Scripture is full of examples where those who abused or misused oaths ultimately harmed both themselves and their communities. Therefore, Jesus’ teaching—“Do not make any oath lightly, and if you do, keep it at any cost”—remains critically important.
Jesus is the One who taught the “Golden Rule,” who sets a high ethical standard for us. As we frequently learn in church, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matt. 7:12). This Golden Rule also applies to keeping our promises and covenants with one another. Pastor David Jang points out, “If you swear an oath in faith but do not keep it, it will ultimately undermine the community’s trust, and worse, your relationship with God becomes strained.” Hence, our decisions, commitments, and vows must always be made with utmost caution, and once we decide, we must risk our very lives to keep them. This is the fundamental stance of biblical faith.
Particularly in the church community, we frequently make commitments, plan acts of service, and pledge to engage in evangelism, missions, or in financial and material support. Here, Pastor David Jang highlights a crucial point that believers must remember: “If oaths become too commonplace, the integrity of our covenants is diminished. Therefore, it’s better not to swear easily at all. However, if an oath has already been made, keep it even if it costs your life.” This principle applies equally in church leadership, the home, and every sphere of society. When we are aware that every promise, big or small, is made before God, it becomes the bedrock that strengthens the community and enables us to pass down a legacy of faith to the next generation in its fullness.
2. Jephthah’s Vow, the Seriousness of Oaths, and Our Decision
As a prime Old Testament example demonstrating the gravity of oaths, Pastor David Jang points to Jephthah’s vow in Judges 11. Facing a fierce battle against the Ammonites, Jephthah prayed, “If You allow me to return victorious from this war, I will sacrifice as a burnt offering whoever comes out to meet me first when I return home.” In the ancient context, losing a war meant the entire population could be taken as slaves, so Jephthah, wanting to save Israel, put his life on the line and made this vow before God.
The war ended in Israel’s victory, and Jephthah returned home triumphant. However, the first to come out of the house to greet him with tambourines and dancing was his only daughter. The moment he saw her, Jephthah tore his clothes in grief and cried out, “I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break” (Judg. 11:35). Hearing this, his daughter responded, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies for the sake of you and your people.” She willingly accepted the vow, dedicating herself to be offered to God.
Pastor David Jang describes this as both a deeply sorrowful and profoundly holy moment in the Old Testament. Even though Jephthah’s daughter realized her life would be sacrificed to the Lord, she expressed her willingness to submit to her father’s vow because it was made to God. Because of this, the women of Israel would annually set aside days to lament and commemorate Jephthah’s daughter (Judg. 11:39-40).
Modern readers might question whether Jephthah should have been more cautious with his vow, or why God did not intervene to spare his daughter. However, Pastor David Jang reminds us that the focus of the text is not “the cruelty of having to sacrifice his daughter,” but rather “the desperate and passionate faith of Jephthah and his daughter, who would not break a vow made to God.” Given that Israel’s fate depended on that war, Jephthah swore an ultimate vow that put everything on the line before God. The direction of that vow, however, ended up demanding the sacrifice of his daughter. Jephthah carried an unending sorrow from that event, and his daughter made a decision to yield her life to God.
Pastor David Jang states that the core lesson here is crystal clear: “Never make a vow carelessly; if you do make one in earnest, you must bear the responsibility with all your life.” This directly correlates with Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 that tell us, “It’s better not to swear at all. But if you must swear, then you must keep it.” Whether in a church community or in one’s personal faith walk, any vow made before God must be fulfilled at all costs. Failure to do so compromises “the integrity of the covenant,” and the breakdown of that integrity can lead to the collapse of one’s home, community, and self.
There is another contrasting event in Scripture: in Acts 12, when Peter was imprisoned, God sent an angel to free him. Ironically, the jailers who were responsible for Peter were executed by Herod as punishment for his escape (Acts 12:19). Reading this also makes us heavy-hearted. It was “an act of deliverance” for Peter, but for the jailers, it was an unjust death. Pastor David Jang points out that if we try to explain everything that happens in the kingdom of God strictly by human standards of right, wrong, and fairness, we’ll encounter countless dilemmas. Ultimately, what’s crucial is the mystery that God’s grand purposes and plans surpass our limited understanding.
The story of Jephthah’s vow and the account of the jailers in Acts both illustrate the varied ways in which God’s salvation narrative unfolds—and the profound significance of human suffering and sacrifice in those processes. Pastor David Jang advises us that, in light of these accounts, we should ask ourselves: “How many vows and promises have we made before God? And are we faithfully carrying them out?” The Christian community should be a place where trust is nurtured and where every promise made before God is faithfully kept. Otherwise, it quickly disintegrates under the weight of broken oaths and the proliferation of casual vows.
Hence, Jesus’ command to “not swear at all” is not an absolute prohibition against every form of oath but rather a stern warning: “Do not take oaths frivolously or misuse them. But if you have taken a vow, keep it even at the cost of your life.” Pastor David Jang suggests the following applications for the church and believers today:
- When you must make a weighty resolution or oath in your faith community, decide only after prayerful deliberation.
- If you have already made a vow, no matter the cost, do your utmost to fulfill it.
- If you doubt your ability to keep a promise, it is better not to make it at all—for the sake of both the community and your own soul.
- When someone in the community honors a vow made in honesty before God and faces hardships or sacrifices as a result, the community should join in weeping and praying with them.
An oath is ultimately a responsibility shared between God, the individual, and the community. The story of Jephthah and his daughter provides an extreme example that shows just how weighty a vow can be. Even something that might seem like a small promise—if made before God—is not light. Such vows profoundly influence personal sanctification and communal maturity. Thus, Pastor David Jang repeatedly urges us to maintain a “spiritual posture that does not lightly break promises made before God.” Especially in times when the church calendar year is ending or a new one is beginning, we should reflect on any vows we have made. If we have failed to keep them, we need to repent and fulfill them as soon as possible.
As Jesus says in Matthew 5:37, believers must plainly say “Yes” when we mean yes, and “No” when we mean no, living a life without excess or deficiency in this regard. The Christian ethical standard is higher than that of the world, and once a believer has resolved in their heart, there must be an underlying honesty that keeps them committed to the end. Pastor David Jang calls this “the purity of faith,” the very foundation for being the “light and salt” that distinguishes us from the world.
When we keep our vows, we build communal trust that serves as a major pillar of God’s kingdom among redeemed believers. Jephthah’s vow is an extreme illustration that reminds us just how serious an oath can be. We need to remember this seriousness and guard ourselves from making hasty vows. But if we have already made a vow, we should choose to keep it, no matter the cost. Pastor David Jang’s main message is that such a stance preserves the church, blesses our neighbors, and saves our own lives as well. It closely aligns with Jesus’ Golden Rule. The heart of “How should we treat others?” ultimately comes down to giving one another genuine sincerity, supported by the actual fulfillment of our promises.
Lastly, Pastor David Jang encourages us to ensure that our faith is not merely talk or knowledge, but grounded in truthfulness and consistency in every covenant we make before God. Even if it is slow in coming, or if sacrifices are involved, we should not abandon the path we are obliged to walk as Christians. Jephthah and his daughter’s painful demonstration of fulfilling a vow reminds us that “the weight of an oath is the weight of life itself.” Jesus’ warning—“Do not swear at all” (Matt. 5:34)—is a grave caution that an oath carries a heavy burden and should not be taken lightly. Yet at the same time, it challenges us to acknowledge that we, as humans, lack the strength to keep vows on our own, and so we must rely on God. When we depend on Him, we receive the strength and wisdom to keep our promises, and through living faithfully in those promises, we are built up in holiness.
Teachings on oaths are both an ethical principle for the people of God’s kingdom and a serious responsibility for communities and individuals; they also form a vital part of a Christian’s identity. Pastor David Jang’s emphasis can be summarized as, “Do not swear falsely, and if you do make an oath, keep it with your life.” When this principle is upheld, the church can truly be the light and salt of God’s kingdom in the world, exerting a holy influence. Moreover, our commitment to keeping our oaths becomes our genuine worship—both in the sanctuary and in the everyday realities of life.