33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the Evil One.
A simple yes or no in today’s world is something we seldom hear. We are told, and tell ourselves that things are not simply black or white but varying shades of gray. We believe that the truth is nuanced and that we must take into account context and the circumstances of the situation. Yet Jesus clearly tells us that anything more than a simple yes or no comes from the Evil One.
Nuance is defined in the Marriam-Webster dictionary as:
1.) a subtle distinction or variation 2.) sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value) Nuance, I feel, is a construct. A release valve designed to offer an escape from the consequences of our actions. To lighten the burden of conscience. To mitigate our culpability. To make a wrong look or feel less evil. To justify our wrong action/our sin to ourselves and to others. Nuance brings ambiguity, confusion, anxiety, and doubt to truth and moral certitude. Is this not the definition of evil?
We as Christians are called to be a beacon of honesty and integrity. Our holy mission is to live in truth, to reflect the life of Jesus Christ, to take the “narrow road”. Truth is simple, Yes or No, binary, nothing more. Truth is not relative, not yours or mine. And definitely not nuanced. There is only one truth. And it is this Truth which we are called to, and called to live. A life of truth may appear radical and impossible to live. However, through the grace and mercy of God all things are possible, perhaps not easy, perhaps not immediately clear to us, but always possible.
In the Gospel of John 14: 5-6 we read:
5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.
What do I read in this quote? Our path to the Father, our eternal reward is through a life lived in Truth which is Jesus Christ. No ambiguity, no shades of gray, a simple “Yes or No”, and definitely not nuanced.
