Proverbs 17:23
Have you ever received a bribe? I am pretty
sure your quick answer was a resounding “No!” But let’s spend a little time thinking
about this. A bribe is something given to change the behavior of the person who
receives it. Usually it is placed in a legal context, meaning the act of giving
and receiving the object and the resulting change in behavior is said to be
against the law.
We
hear about people in the news almost every day getting caught taking bribes.
Lobbyists make a living selling influence, getting access when others don’t,
shaping opinion in a way that favors their viewpoint at the expense of another.
Politicians, especially those around DC, have become drunk on their power. They
will do almost anything to keep it. They even betray the interest of their
constituents. The recent exemption for their staff from Obamacare is a good
example. They demand we comply, but then they use their power to protect
themselves. We pay for their extravagance!
But
most people who end up bribing in this legal sense don’t start their buying of
influence with this illegal act. They start changing others behavior in their
favor with much smaller, not illegal acts. They learn to get what they want by
manipulating other people. They might not be purposeful in their manipulation,
but their small acts move other people.
Let
me give you several small examples. Have you ever brought cookies in order to
butter someone up, to get on their good side? Have you ever smiled and been
extra kind when you wanted something from someone? Did you ever push an
argument hoping the other person would give in to your solution? I could go on,
but I won’t.
You
see, most of us do small things to influence others behavior in our favor. So
when does this kind of behavior become out of bounds for a Jesus-follower?
Certainly when someone ends up hurt as a result of our actions it would be
wrong, no matter what kind of hurt that is, moral, physical, spiritual,
emotional, or resource depleting. We are supposed to prefer each other, look
out for each other’s best interest, not our own. We are to be servants of all.
I
am challenging you, as I am challenging myself, to examine how we broker deals,
negotiate compromise, settle arguments. Are we working toward justice for all
involved? Or are we beginning the practice of manipulating that may end up
someday in a bribe? Think about it.