Peter Mandelson’s arrest reminds us that politics is meant for the common good and using it for personal gain is an abuse of the power we are given by God, says Tim Farron MP. Fortunately Old Testament teaching on righteousness and judgement shows Christians a better way
Two years ago, Sir Keir Starmer won a historic landslide in the general election because he promised to restore stability to British politics. But thanks in part to the arrest of former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, the PM has once more found himself fighting for survival.
Since the US Department of Justice released the latest tranche of Epstein files, Mandelson became the second person (alongside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) to be arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Like Mountbatten Windsor, he has denied all wrongdoing and has since been released on bail pending further investigation.
Nonetheless, a series of damning photographs and emails have revealed the alarming extent of Mandelson’s relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein. The former MP and labour spin doctor, who also served as Secretary of State and the European Commissioner for Trade, boasted that he persuaded Gordon Brown to resign as prime minister in 2010 and allegedly passed on confidential decisions taken by government during the economic crash. If true, it is a devastating portrayal of misused political authority.
Over two millennia ago, in the fourth century BC, Aristotle made the most basic moral distinction in the whole of Western political thought: good government is for the sake of the community, and bad government is for private interest. The mood across the nation - and in political circles - is angry and anxious because of this very reason: Peter Mandelson is an individual appointed to public office who blatantly abused the authority given to him at the expense of the common good.
Judging rightly
I have found myself thinking again about what exactly Christians should seek to achieve through politics. In the Bible, we see that government is authorised by God. What then, does God want us to do with it?
Psalm 72, in its portrait of a good ruler gives us a twofold answer: justice and peace. In the Old Testament, justice is the combination of the Hebrew words Michpat, which literally means “judgement in court”, and Tsedeq, which means ‘righteousness’ in the sense of doing what’s right. The psalm shows that through judgement in court in favour of victims, the exploited and the poor, there will not only be justice, but shalom. This Hebrew word means wellbeing, peace with justice, prosperity; in other words, the common good.
Political authority is supposed to bring forth justice
It is interesting that the psalmists often rejoice in the coming of God’s judgement. This is not something we do very often today. We tremble at God’s judgement; we don’t tend to celebrate it! But they saw human error as so immense, the political structures as so insufficient and the rulers too protected by their own wealth and status to be humbled by their mistakes.
Therefore, we read: “O let the nations rejoice and be glad, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth” (Psalm 67:4); and “Let the field be joyful… all the trees of the wood shall rejoice before the Lord, he comes to judge the Earth,” (Psalm 96:12, 13). People even ask for God’s judgement: “Judge me, O Lord my God, according to my righteousness,” (Psalm 35:24).
The justice of Jesus
In his essay Judgement in the Psalms, CS Lewis writes that, because of the standard against which our actions will be judged, we must “pin all our hopes on the mercy of God and the work of Christ, not on our own goodness.”
Political authority is supposed to bring forth justice; meaning “the rendering of what is due.” Those in positions of political authority are instructed to exercise power in this way.
In 1 Samuel, the people of Israel rejected God and demanded a king who would judge them and fight for them. This didn’t go well. While King David established a secure, united kingdom, most subsequent kings failed to follow God. This led to the kingdom’s division, widespread idolatry and, eventually, exile to Babylon. To restore all this, God promised them a new king - the Messiah who would deliver His people and restore all of creation. As we know, His name is Jesus.
The psalmists often rejoice in the coming of God’s judgement. This is not something we do very often today
In ancient Israel, the main function of the king was to exercise judgement in the court. In our modern world, the role of government is so much more complex, which is why it can go so wrong. The sheer scale of the task is immense: running the economy, seeking the welfare of the people and maintaining law and order – to name just a few.
And so, as we see Downing Street teetering with scapegoats, scandal and resignations, it is deeply important that we learn some lessons. To some extent, as sinful people we will always abuse any power that we have. This fact lies at the root of the lack of trust in politics. We must repent of that and turn to the only person in history who ever held power without abusing it: Jesus, the servant King.
Jesus, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, is still at work in our secular order. God is in control of our turbulent world; we need to come to Him humbly and pray for our nation, and to follow Him as our model that we might govern in justice.
