"A Corrupted System"

October 17, 2004

Introduction. At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney began attacking the witness on the stand. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?" The witness stared off into space, as if he hadn't heard the question. The prosecutor again asked, this time louder, "Isn't it true, sir, that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?" The witness still did not respond. Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the question." "Oh," the startled witness said, "Sorry, judge, I thought he was talking to you." (www.expertlaw.com/humor/trials/corruption.html)

Move 1. An unjust judge is one of two main characters in the parable Jesus tells in our gospel lesson today. The judge is a powerful man, not fearful of God, nor fearful of people, and certainly not respectful of the widow who comes to him. He clearly has no sympathy for what seems to be a case of someone–namely this widow--in desperate need of his help to have justice. He reminds us of corrupt systems of the past, as well as corrupt systems of today.

Indeed, the justice system itself is often unjust. Even in America, with arguably the finest courts in the world, many lawyers lie to win their cases, and the ones who care about the poor are overworked and underpaid. Judges and juries sometimes feel compelled to convict someone for the sake of a conviction, and at other times let known criminals slip from conviction because of legal loopholes.

Though many elected officials and government leaders are trying to do right, the American political system also is corrupt. Getting elected requires lots of money, and so politicians of all political stripes accept campaign contributions from industries and unions on which they will be making laws. They even allow paid lobbyists to write laws that will benefit their clients, but may not be best for the general welfare of the people they are supposed to be serving. Of course, as Otto von Bismarck noted, "The less people know about how sausages and laws are made, the better they’ll sleep at night." (William Martin, The Best Liberal Quotes Ever, 2004, p. 124)

In addition to the judicial and political systems, the economic system in America, again one of the best in the world, at times has flaws that are exposed. Corporate executives–by no means all, but more than some of us care to admit–have ripped off, are ripping off–their employees and consumers alike. They are not being honest. And they and labor leaders draw battle lines while the worker, who simply wants to earn an honest living, gets caught in the middle.

The unjust judge in the parable, a man of power and influence, is a reminder. He reminds us of corrupted systems.

Move 2. As already noted, it is domestic violence awareness month. The issue of domestic violence, that violence which happens within the home, often in private, certainly is an issue that calls to mind corruption in our family systems. It is an issue that cries out for justice, cries out for us as people of faith to take a stand and help. And it is an issue that, despite greater awareness than ever before, we can still misunderstand.

Violence in the home still prompts many of us to ask, "Why doesn’t she, or in some cases he, just leave, just get out of there?" Indeed, spousal violence does cause many to leave, but it is not always that simple. I was given a poem recently, written by a survivor of severe domestic violence, which says it better than I ever could.

"Lost in a world of darkness,

Not knowing what will be.

For the man that I married,

A monster do I see.

The lies and cover-ups,

I put blame on me.

Will I ever be free?

Will I do anything right

To keep from starting a fight?

Domestic violence still affects hundreds and thousands of women and men each year. It points to corruption in our human systems, and families in particular. It is especially lifted up by us this month, but should be lifted up throughout the year, as an issue of justice.

Move 3. But justice doesn’t come easily. It takes work. It takes persistence. Indeed, justice for the widow finally comes through pleading with the judge, irritating him. Her demands are finally met, not because of the goodness of the judge or the justice of the system, but because he finally tires of her troubling him. Her demands are met because he doesn’t want to hear from her anymore.

Over a longer period of time, justice in the area of family violence parallels this parable of the past. For hundreds of years, women in most societies were treated as property, owned first by their fathers, and later their husbands. Today, they still are considered property in many cultures. But in Britain and the United States, especially starting in the 1970s, women and men began demanding that things change–that laws be changed; that police quit turning a blind eye; that shelters be built. A dedicated movement sprung up that continues today.

But, just as the case of the widow is not what the unjust judge wants to deal with, and is finally dealt with by the judge only so he won’t have to think about her anymore, cases of domestic violence are hard to hear about, hard to think about, hard to act upon. These are usually horrible situations, sometimes involving our neighbors, our friends. Justice is sometimes thwarted by peoples’ propensity to close their ears, their eyes, their mouths.

Yet justice has begun to prevail. It is still in process, but consider this: in the years since the beginning of shelters being built in the 1970s, the number of men murdered by wives or girlfriends, since that time, has fallen drastically. ("Women less often victims of mate fury," The Herald Journal {Logan, Utah}, May 17, 2000) This makes sense–women now have options and protections they didn’t have before, and don’t see retaliation as the only choice. They are less and less caught, as the poem says, in a "world of mine (that) is all I know."

Justice is pursued by the widow in the parable. Justice often comes through irritating "trouble makers" like her. As the famous saying goes by Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."

Move 4. And yet, I don’t believe that we are alone in seeking justice and creating change. I happen to share a belief with the prophet Jeremiah, that God is the one who brings about ultimate change. I see in Jeremiah that God promises a new covenant, a new agreement, a new way of helping us achieve justice.

Listen–Jeremiah makes reference to the old covenant, the covenant of law, the 10 Commandments and those outward laws intended to guide and shape our outward behavior. We understand. Our society has laws regarding all kinds of things–domestic violence included–that we are supposed to obey. Yet many of us obey reluctantly, or not at all. In the privacy of the home, we know that people are more apt to get away with law-breaking than they are in public.

Jeremiah mentions a problem that compounds this law-breaking–that the parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. In other words, the problems of the parents are often passed onto the kids. And we know that this is particularly true in cases of domestic violence, that the kids either act out the violence themselves, or wind up in relationships with abusive partners because that is the world they know. We know that violence can breed violence, through the generations.

But Jeremiah also speaks God’s word, that a time is coming in which God will do something new in our world, and in our hearts. He says that God will put God’s law in our inward parts, and write it on our hearts, so that everyone will know what is right, what is wrong, and each person will be responsible for that. We all will know that things like domestic violence are wrong, and we will not engage in or put up with such actions.

I know that such a vision–of a world that doesn’t need outer, written laws because God’s laws and love will flow through the hearts and lives of all people–such a vision seems like a dream. Yet I believe in a God who has always worked in partnership with the world, who continues to work with humanity, and who works miracles in ever new ways.

Conclusion. One social worker from our local domestic violence agency, CAPSA, says that the laws passed on this issue are only as good as the society that supports them. She says that true change can’t occur until at the bars, in the locker rooms, and on the streets a majority of people support families free from violence. (Kathryn Monson, CAPSA, interview on October 14, 2004)

I wonder, is there a majority on this issue? Has God’s new covenant already arrived? Do we, or don’t we, already know what is right? Isn’t it time that we stand up, or recommit ourselves to standing up, for those in Cache Valley needing justice? May our words and actions reflect our belief in a God who hates corruption, who seeks justice, and who loves us powerfully.

October 17, 2004

Rev. Dave Hedgepeth

First Presbyterian Church

Logan, Utah