Matthew 5: The Sermon on the Mount: Exceeding Righteousness (5)

Pray Psalm 145.1-3.
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

Sing joyfully Psalm 145.1-3.
(Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
I will extol You, God, my King, and ever praise Your Name!
I bless You, Lord, for everything each day, and e’er the same!
Great are You, Lord, my praise I bring; unsearchable Your fame!

Read Matthew 5.1-37; meditate on verses 33-37.

Prepare.
1. What kind of speech does Jesus command?

2. Where does speech other than this come from?

Meditate.
I used to have an acquaintance who would frequently say, in conversation, “To be perfectly honest…” A mutual acquaintance, when he was present, would never fail to interrupt him when he said this, to ask whether he had been “perfectly honest” to this point.

Jesus wanted our words to matter, no matter how many or few, and in every situation or instance. We should not have to bolster our words with things like “To be perfectly honest…” or “To tell the truth…” or “I swear…” In Jesus’ day, it was not uncommon to hear someone support a point or insist on the truth of a matter by swearing or taking an oath, often invoking God or heaven or God’s throne, to emphasize the truth of what he was saying.

There is a place for vows and oaths in human speech, but usually in the most solemn of situations, as in a marriage ceremony, or a court of law. We should not require such devices in ordinary speech. Rather, we should say what we mean and mean what we say; and we should be so consistent in doing so that there is no need to prop up our claims or points beyond our plain words. It is surprising to see how much the Bible has to say about how we use our tongues. Jesus’ words in the sermon on the mount summarize quite well what the Bible insists on throughout: We should endeavor to have righteous speech – always speaking the truth, doing so in love, and seeking to edify others with our tongues.

Jesus spoke the truth, even if people were offended by it. He shows us what righteousness looks like in speaking, and we should strive to emulate Him in this, as in everything else. Anything other than plain speaking – gossip, gross exaggeration, putting others down, equivocation or dissimulation – is “from the evil one.”

Reflect.
1. How can believers help one another to improve in the ways we speak? Why should we?

2. Do you think that if we spent more time praising God, celebrating His attributes and works, and giving Him thanks, this would improve our daily conversation? Explain.

3. What would you recommend as the best ways of making sure your speech doesn’t become an instrument of the evil one?

Christ now prescribes…a remedy; which is, that men act towards each other sincerely and honestly: for then simplicity of speech will have quite as much weight as an oath has among those who are not sincere. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Matthew 5.37

Thank You for the gift of speech, Lord. Help me to use my words today to…

Pray Psalm 145.15-21.
Look to the Lord and give Him abundant praise and thanks. Thus you will train yourself always to speak what is true and edifying.

Sing Psalm 145.15-21.
Psalm 145.15-21 (Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
The eyes of all look up to You to meet our needs each day.
Open Your hand, provide the food we need, O Lord, we pray!
Kindness and righteousness You do, O Lord, in every way!

Be near to all who call on You; all those who fear You, bless.
Preserve all those whose love is true; save us in our distress.
Our mouths will speak with praise of You; Your holy Name we’ll bless.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).