MP Expenses – what would Jesus say?
Here in the U.K., at the moment (May 2009), we are obsessed with the expenses being claimed by our MPs (Members of Parliament). It seems that some of them have been pushing the limits of what they can claim and not thinking about whether they should claim them. Did Jesus have anything to say about this?
Well first let’s turn our attention to the great British public because, although they don’t know it, they are reflecting something of the attitude of Jesus. They are outraged and think that something should be done. You see they understand that just acting as the law says you can does not make you right.
Jesus was very clear that it is not the following of a law that makes you right but it’s what comes from within (e.g. what you think). You can follow every law to the letter but it won’t make you right. The law is an attempt to describe what is right and wrong and a countries laws should protect the innocent and provide ways of dealing with the guilty but it is not the final word on what is right or wrong.
However Jesus did point out a couple of other things that I think applies here.
1. It is not the magnitude of a crime that makes you right or wrong. You don’t have to do something really big to be wrong, even the smallest of things counts. Of course some crimes are more serious than others (Jesus never denied this) but wrong is wrong. Because an MP claims thousands of pounds for something they should not have doesn’t mean that the few pounds you claim is somehow right. Anyone who claims (or takes) any money that they should not claim (whether a few pound or thousands) is in the wrong. I wonder how many of us who get upset with MPs have ever claimed a work expense (perhaps a meal or clothing or travel, etc) that perhaps we should not have. Or what about those who take stationary (pens, pencils, paper, the odd bit of printing) from their place of work? Are they not also doing wrong? Or what about using the Internet when you shouldn’t be? Are not these small things also taking money from where we shouldn’t? I don’t say this to excuse anyone but I think we should understand that perhaps we don’t have the right to get angry when we do the very same things albeit in a smaller way.
2. Let the person who never does wrong be the one who passes judgement (let he who is without sin cast the first stone). If we also do wrong then we should acknowledge this. Jesus spoke about removing the plank from our own eye so we can help take the splinter out of anothers eye. Perhaps we need to acknowledge that our whole country is in the dock over this one because we have allowed a society to develop that thinks it’s OK to cheat a little as long as you remain within the law.
I am not suggesting that some MPs have not been caught doing wrong or that they should not face the consequences of their bad behaviour but I am saying let’s look at ourselves in the same way and try and work out what we can do for our world to make sure that this kind of thing never happens again. Passing new laws will not address the issue other than plugging a few loopholes that the dishonest can exploit. What I would love to see is MPs who I can trust to do what is right regardless of what the law says they can get away with. I would like this also for myself.