The core of this teaching is "simply tell the truth". Arguments about whether or not we can "swear on the Bible" in court or whatever are missing the point. What Jesus is teaching against is the notion that at some times we should be more diligent about telling the truth than at others.
We should tell the truth at all times, it should be in our heart to tell the truth, it should be in our nature to tell the truth.
The Pharisees had developed a whole system of swearing by oaths, hence Jesus' mention of various types. They thought that if they swore by something other than God then they were not fully bound by the oath. This is why Jesus refers to swearing by ones head, or by Jerusalem etc. The whole world belongs to God, all people were created by God, we are always in God's sight. So we must always tell the truth. Anything else tells of deception in our heart, and we need to root it out, not make excuses or cover-ups.
In an earlier post (5:21-26) I talked about it being foolish for authorities to try and judge attitudes and thoughts. This has a wider application, and is why it is vital that we do not treat all this teaching by Jesus as new laws. All of us are guilty of wrong attitudes, lust in our hearts, none of us has always told the absolute truth. When we repent and resolve to change, the change will not come about instantly. There will be times when we fail, at least in our hearts, if not in outward expression. God alone knows all our attitudes and what is in our heart, and He alone is able to handle the knowledge. He knows when we are moving in the right direction and a wrong attitude will eventually be overcome, He knows when a wrong attitude is something that will trigger a serious error. He knows when to be merciful, when to be patient, when to take action, and how to take action. We do not. Indeed if we knew every single thought that ever goes through each others head we probably could not handle it.
In an earlier post (5:21-26) I talked about it being foolish for authorities to try and judge attitudes and thoughts. This has a wider application, and is why it is vital that we do not treat all this teaching by Jesus as new laws. All of us are guilty of wrong attitudes, lust in our hearts, none of us has always told the absolute truth. When we repent and resolve to change, the change will not come about instantly. There will be times when we fail, at least in our hearts, if not in outward expression. God alone knows all our attitudes and what is in our heart, and He alone is able to handle the knowledge. He knows when we are moving in the right direction and a wrong attitude will eventually be overcome, He knows when a wrong attitude is something that will trigger a serious error. He knows when to be merciful, when to be patient, when to take action, and how to take action. We do not. Indeed if we knew every single thought that ever goes through each others head we probably could not handle it.
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