In Matthew 5:33‑37, Jesus cites the Old Testament commands not to swear falsely and to perform vows made to the Lord, then exposes how people used clever oath systems (swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, even their own head) as loopholes to sound truthful without actually being trustworthy. He reminds them that heaven is God’s throne, earth His footstool, and Jerusalem the city of the great King, so every promise is effectively made in God’s presence and must be kept. The point is not banning all formal vows (like legal contracts), but calling God’s people to be so marked by integrity that a simple “yes” or “no” is enough.
