Curb the Contracts

Curb the Contracts

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 18:19 There were no written contracts in Jesus’ time because ink and paper were exorbitantly expensive. In fact, it’s believed that each of Paul’s epistles cost thousands of dollars to produce, with estimates ranging from $2,000 to $40,000 for just one letter! In the ancient East, the high cost of writing things down necessitated the creation of a new process for creating legal agreements. In Jewish tradition, it was customary to establish a verbal agreement, shake hands, and swear by the Name of God that they would follow their promises to each other. When they invoked the Lord in a contract, they effectively made it a verbal pact. Though I can’t say for sure, I’m betting that the ease with which

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Curb the Contracts

“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:37 In Jesus’ time, there were no written contracts, because the price of ink and paper was prohibitively expensive. In fact, it’s estimated that the cost to pen each of Paul’s epistles was in the thousands of dollars, some say anywhere from $2,000 to $40,000 a piece! The excessive cost of writing things down demanded that there be another protocol for making legal agreements in the ancient East. In Jewish culture, the custom was that a consensus was reached, the parties would shake hands, and then they would swear by the Name of God that they would keep their promise. In essence, when they invoked the Lord in any agreement, they made a verbal contract. This was an important part of the legal system of the day.  Though I don’t

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