Matthew 5:36 Commentary and Bible Study

To swear by our own bodies is to assert that if we do not speak the truth, we will be willing to forfeit our own bodies or parts of them. But Christ says, ‘Do not even swear by your own bodily parts as if you had complete control over them.’ What is his reasoning here? He says, do not swear by your head because you cannot make one hair white or black; why is that a reason for not swearing by our heads? His point is that we are created beings and we did not make ourselves. We might think that our heads are uniquely our own, and that, above all other things in this world, we can say that they belong to us, but actually they too are the workmanship of God and they are given to us by him. You did not make your body; you do not even understand how it works. The head, the eyes, the ears, the mouth, the nose, the brain and all their growth and workings are a mystery still far beyond our full understanding. That should be clear to us when we consider how little power we have. In fact you cannot even change the colour of the most insignificant and dispensable part of your head, a single hair. Of course we can dye it, but that is not the point. The point is that we did not determine our natural hair colour but we received it from God. If you cannot do that little thing, then do not speak of any part of your body as if it was yours to pledge against your own veracity. Your body is a gift from God. It is given to you and you may call it your own while you have it, but ultimately it is a gift and not yours to dispose of any way you think fit; especially not to give it away recklessly in a false pledge. Even our bodies are linked to something greater than us, and testify to our Creator. We cannot swear by them as if they were something totally within our power. If we swear by our bodily parts we are swearing by the one who made us. We cannot therefore swear even by our own bodies without also swearing by the God who made us.