Matthew 28:12 And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money 13 and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.

      The agenda that the chief priests had was made clear when they bribed the soldiers into saying that the body of Jesus had been taken away by the Lord’s disciples. Stop The Resurrection might have been their goal, but not attainable since the Resurrection was already in full process by the time the bribery scheme was being put forth. We can deduce that bribery was standard practice among the chief priests as they were so fast to offer bribes to pay the soldiers and they had done it with Judas Iscariot days earlier. The priests understood that anyone could be bought if the currency was right for the moment in life.

      It is said, that we all have our price and can be bribed or bought at a certain point for something that we think is valuable beyond our grasp. In many cases, people sell out for very little value or worth. A thief sells his soul for the few things stolen in a break-in. An addict of any kind will compromise their will and belief for the next hit of whatever it is that they are slaves to. Surprisingly, we can be bought and bribed for very little. Even if we think we are above such temptations, we need to be vigilant in asking God for the strength to make honest choices. Rom. 12:3b Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

       I was talking with a friend who was so disappointed with the corruption in the financial investment sector. He said “The sad thing is when those who are caught with the bribes and kickbacks in hand, their company losses are just written off as a tax deduction, and the culprits are let go ending up at another company doing it again. How has dishonesty become the standard for doing business?” Prov.11:1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight. I believe that there are a lot of good companies that do follow ethical business practices but yes, the potential for dishonest gain is a temptation at all times. We are all susceptible to greed, lust, and covetousness, but by the grace of God, there go all of us.

      There is a strength in the Lord that God has given us through the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Because His power dwells within us we have the anointed ability to resist the devil and choose righteousness. Reading the account of the Lord’s words to the church of Smyrna, there is an expectation from the risen Lord that the members of the Smyrna assembly will be able to overcome persecution, trials, and temptation of the most brutal kind. Rev. 2:10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. These Saints are being admonished and instructed to not be afraid of prison, suffering day after day, and possible death, but to use the crown of life that Jesus has for them as their mainstay and vision for their faith in Christ. Jesus expects that once we are walking with Him in the new and regenerated heart that He gave us through our Resurrection-powered born-again life, we will be able to overcome the briberies of the world.

      The Lord has absolute confidence in His gift of salvation and its power to enable us to fight the good fight of faith and to do it with the blessed assurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us. The Lord says that we can do great things in Him. Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Give me strength for what? To do all things that God has placed in my heart. The power of the blood that Jesus shed contained the full measure and assurance of His grace for our salvation and the ability to overcome all the warfare of the enemy. We are protected by God’s knowledge of our capacity to overcome sin. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our faith-filled ability in Christ. 1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. The Lord will show us the way out of temptation and the way to destroy the works of darkness.

      The briberies of the world are all around us and at any time we can choose to be paid off, bought off, or to take off with the bribes offered. Or, we can make our hearts stand firm in the righteous power the Lord has given us through Christ. I grew up in a time when a handshake was the bond of an honest contract between two or more people resolving a business deal. Our yes, was our yes, and our no, was our no. We under-promised and over-delivered until one day that seemed to change. Where did we drop the ethics ball? These days, every other phone call is a scam and our parents and grandparents are targets for outright online thievery. Don’t let the chief priests of the monetary system bribe you into a seductive choice for the sake of a temporary windfall. Our souls are of eternal worth and Christ’s love for us will give us the greatest treasure of all. We have eternal life now and we have been paid for in full through Christ. There is no greater security than our infinite God keeping us next to His heart. May we see the true value of His love for us.