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Thirty Pieces of Silver THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER AN EXPLORATION OF CORRUPTION, BRIBERY, TRANSPARENCY & JUSTICE IN THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES BY DR PAULA GOODER THEOLOGIAN IN RESIDENCE, BIBLE SOCIETY THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS ON CORRUPTION IN THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS IN BRIEF: Spirituality and resisting corruption are closely tied together • Jesus lived in a world marked by corruption and greed in the Bible where right behaviour is inextricably linked to and his teaching sought to show people how to live in such the worship of God. This shapes attitudes to corruption a world with gentle, generous dignity. throughout the Bible. • The response of Zacchaeus after Jesus’ visit, as well as • The word ‘corruption’ in English Bibles has more to Jesus’ teaching about money, illustrates that Jesus was do with decay than with ‘institutional corruption’, uncompromising in his opposition to self-interest but the word ‘bribery’ is valuable in helping and greed. us to understand the Bible position on the subject. Bribery is soundly • Three vignettes in the last week of condemned because it Jesus’ life show how the conflicts undermines the impartiality Jesus was involved in raise expected of those in power. questions about corruption: • Part of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden was • Jesus’ cleansing of the acting with self-interest temple critiqued Temple to gain the knowledge of worship for no longer having good and evil, a self-interest as its major focus people’s which blinded them to encounter with God God’s command. • The bribing of Judas with money meant for enhancing • Samuel’s concern about worshipping in the Temple the people’s request for a king reveals what can go wrong was that it would give the when self-interest becomes King too much power and open more important than justice and the door to corruption. In reality, the impartiality. King was seen as ruling in God’s place • The trials of Jesus also illustrate what can and was expected to live out the same happen when fear and self-interest cause the principles as God. There was no room for corruption of any principles of justice to be abandoned. kind in Israel’s kingship. Jesus’ own kingship gave us a glimpse of what Kingship should look like. The Bible issues a strong challenge to us all to abandon self- interest and to live according to God’s principles of justice • The reason why usury, or lending money for interest, was and impartiality. The last week of Jesus’ life, including his condemned was because it encouraged the accumulation death, illustrates what can go wrong when we ignore this of wealth by some and the consequent impoverishment of call. others. Judas Receiving Payment for his Betrayal. Giotto di Bondone. From his Life of Christ INTRODUCTION Alongside this, we need One of the challenges of seeking to acknowledge that to live as a Christian is the whole corruption can happen for At the heart of the account of the last question of how we allow what we many reasons, including week of Jesus’ life, lies the iconic image believe about God, and our worship of self-interest, greed and of the thirty pieces of silver given to him, to affect the way in which we live fear, but that, whatever Judas as a bribe to betray Jesus. out our lives. Over the years much has the motivation, its been written about the importance of consequences are always seeking justice but much less has been catastrophic and corrosive. criticised. At the heart of the account said about what this means for how The life of Jesus reveals this powerfully. of the last week of Jesus’ life, lies we respond to the very specific issue Throughout the whole of his life and the iconic image of the thirty pieces of corruption. We do not have to read ministry Jesus revealed and challenged of silver given to Judas as a bribe to far, however, before it becomes clear the realities of the corruption that betray Jesus. This image reminds that just as God calls on us all to act existed around him. The discomfort us powerfully of the consequences with justice and righteousness, so also and anger that this challenge instilled of corruption and what can happen there is no room for corruption of any in the authorities of his day was one of when the principles of God’s justice kind in systems of power. God expects the factors that lead to his death. So are considered of less importance than the world to be governed as he would angry were they, in fact, that they were holding onto power. govern it and this expectation shapes prepared to use any means possible the way in which much of the Old to bring about his death, even the Testament talks about Kingship. corruption which Jesus had so soundly APPROACHING A STUDY OF CORRUPTION One of the questions raised by the Officials were expected to act impartially in coming to a judgment attempt to use the Bible to reflect on about who was in the right. Indeed the righteousness of the official any thematic subject is the question depended on their ability to be impartial. of how you do it. For many people a default starting point is word studies, Bribery and its impact on What bribes did were to make in which a word is looked up in a Righteousness officials partial and therefore blind to concordance to see how it is used While a word search on ‘corruption’ righteousness. Bribery was, as a result, throughout the Bible. This approach does not provide us with everything a complete anathema to the cause can often provide a helpful starting that we need to explore institutional of justice. This is why God is also point for thematic exploration as it corruption in the Bible, there is a word described in Deuteronomy 10.17 as provides a way to explore the sweep of which offers a more fruitful field of great and mighty, ‘who is not partial ways in which certain words are used enquiry to begin our search. This is and takes no bribe’. God himself was throughout the Bible. the word bribery. The Hebrew word deeply just, this justice depended ‘sehad’ often translated as gift or bribe on his impartiality and his refusal to describes an action that is regularly accept bribes in any form. condemned throughout the Hebrew This initial word study, then, points Israelite society was founded Bible. Bribery is described as having to some key issues about the nature on the expectation of a two-edged effect, as Exodus 23.8 of righteousness which will help ‘righteousness’, this concept makes clear: ‘for a bribe blinds the shape an exploration of corruption involved not only ‘acting officials, and subverts the cause of in what follows. Two strands in rightly’ but also being in ‘right those who are in the right’ (see also particular stand out: the first is the relationship ‘with God and Deuteronomy 16.19). This reveals recognition that ‘bribery’ is an ‘anti- with each other. a fundamental principle of Israelite covenant’ word. God’s faithfulness society which will underpin much of our subsequent explorations Word Studies and the difficulties and reaches right to the heart of they cause. covenantal theology. Israelite The problem with word studies is that society was founded on the It is clear that because God is words do not always mean what we expectation of ‘righteousness’, this impartial and takes no bribes, think they mean. The word ‘corruption’ concept involved not only ‘acting officials should be the same. is an interesting example of this. A rightly’ but also being in ‘right Corruption is an anti-God word. simple word search on the English relationship‘ with God and with each other. These are intertwined – acting word ‘corruption’ leads us to the Greek to his covenant was demonstrated rightly ensures good relationship. words phthora and diaphthora. The by his righteousness and impartiality, problem, caused in this instance by What counted as ‘righteous behaviour’ and almost by definition bribery the nature of English language itself, was shaped and defined by role. Those undermines these principles. A second is that neither phthora nor diaphthora with power were expected to use that strand is the connection between the mean the kind of corruption that is the power with impartiality, so that those nature of God and those in power. It subject of our current study. Phthora without power could be confident is clear that because God is impartial or diaphthora refers to destruction, that they would always ensure justice and takes no bribes, officials should decay or ruin and is most often used rather than support a pre-determined be the same. Corruption is an anti-God in the New Testament to refer to what position. Officials were expected to act word. happens to the flesh (as can be seen in impartially in coming to a judgment Galatians 6.8: ‘if you sow to your own about who was flesh, you will reap corruption from in the right. FOR REFLECTION the flesh’). This does not mean that Indeed the • How often does your thinking about individuals or the Bible has nothing to say about righteousness society more broadly reflect impartiality? institutional corruption – far from it of the official • Can you think of situations where justice and – simply that word studies in English depended on impartiality have been abandoned - for example need to be employed with care to their ability to globally, nationally, in your workplace, your ensure that they provide what we want be impartial. relationships or your church? them to provide.
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