Again you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to The Lord. But I tell you, do not swear 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. Simply let your "Yes" be "Yes", and your "No, No"; anything beyond this comes from the evil one (Matt. 5:33-37 NIV).
Jesus is referring to the ceremonious way in which Jews, particularly the Pharisaic types, took oaths. It was one of the things in the culture of the time. Jesus is here nailing it as an undesirable procedure because it was all about pulling the wool over the eyes of the people. Any tradition or culture that goes against the word of God should not be practiced. People swore these impressive sounding oaths, but they were being phony. It is phony because the person taking the oath was just to impress. They didn't intend to keep the promise or commitment that they were apparently confirming by taking an oath. They were just fooling folks. And Jesus says in essence, "Don't let this foolery ever touch you." Jesus is against hypocrisy in all its forms. He is for straightforwardness, transparency, honesty, and responsibility in all its forms.
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