A double standard of corruption
As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Mark 12:38–40, NRSV
Transparency International defines corruption as “abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” Power in our society is often entrusted to religious leaders, business leaders, and government officials.
When religious leaders or government officials act out of their own self-interest, and not in the interest of people they serve, cries of corruption are warranted. This same standard, however, is often not applied to capitalists.1
I suspect this double standard is a result of the religious/secular divide that often goes unquestioned in “modern western” societies. Government officials fall into a category that, while not explicitly religious, is still seen as “sacred” in some sense.2 The same moral expectations that are applied to clergy are often applied to politicians as well, and people are often profoundly disappointed in both.
The sacred/secular divide that this double standard rests upon would be unintelligible in the world of the Bible. The “scribes” Jesus speaks about “held fundamental positions in the spiritual, political and economic infrastructures of Jerusalem.”3 Jesus condemned the scribes for upholding legal structures that repossessed the homes of widows when they could not repay their deceased husbands\’ loans, while at the same time basking in privilege and respect from their lofty social positions.
Only a few verses prior, a scribe agreed with Jesus that the second most important commandment in the Law was to love one’s neighbor as oneself, second only to loving God with all one has.4 These commandments together preclude any interpretation of the Law which would create a disadvantaged or exploited class.
Why is it that in matters of government and religion (the sacred), we believe that self-interest is at odds with serving the best interests of the community, but in business (the secular) we believe that selfishness and greed are the best motivators for making the world a better place?
If we let this baseless and arbitrary sacred/secular distinction fall away, we might see an otherwise blatant attempt to exempt an entire class of our society from the ethical norms that the rest of us are governed by.
By "capitalists” I mean the people who own the means of production and subsistence: business owners, landlords, etc.
For example, consider the words of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin describing the capital building after the incursion on January 6th, 2021: “This is a special place. This is a sacred place.\” quoted here from Bill Ruthhart, “During Electoral College Debate, u.s. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Richard Durbin Condemn Trump and Violent Mob That Stormed u.s. Capitol,” Chicago Tribune, January 6, 2021, https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-tammy-duckworth-richard-durbin-senate-capitol-mob-20210107-l2v5u7ktlzfwrfpnupgavansku-story.html.
Ronald J. Kernaghan, Mark, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 241.
Mark 12:28-34.