Parable of Integrity

With regards to the ongoing Integrity Commission fiasco, consider the following re-telling of Jesus’ parable of the talents. Once a citizen of a small, talented, but troubled nation called together his servants, representatives of his estates, and entrusted certain responsibilities to them. Then he went about his other business. After some time, the citizen returned and asked his servants to account for themselves and their actions in his absence. The first, an investigator, who had been tasked with the responsibility for investigating corrupt activities in the management of the citizen’s monies, said, “Sir, I have worked with the tools and resources at my disposal and have found evidence of illegal practices and intent to deceive and defraud you, citizen, of your money.” The man replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have done your duty and your findings and recommendations will be evaluated forthwith without fear or favor. The second, man, a journalist who had been entrusted with the duty of watching over the other estates, said, “I have found evidence of misdeeds and malpractice by members of your other estates, indeed as a consequence one of your estates has come into disrepute. The man replied to the reporter, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have done your duty and you have brought to light things that might otherwise have remained hidden. You will be entrusted with even greater responsibilities.” The citizen called for his final representative, the most elevated and prestigious of them all, but was forced to wait patiently for this servant was on sabbatical. Receiving word that the citizen wanted audience with him regarding the less than satisfactory performance of his duties, the servant hastily penned an explanation in which he indicated that “despite the many affordances of my position and Office, I find an insufficient endowment incapacitating.” The citizen became angry with the response and replied, “You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that your task was of integral importance and yet you treated serious matters with scant regard. Why were you not more conscientious when you found that you could not adequately perform the tasks assigned to you? Why did you do nothing to transform this situation which has brought dishonor to all of my estates? Take his Office and entitlements away from him and give it to another. Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness where there is much weeping, bloodshed and gnashing of teeth.”
It is indeed a sad state of affairs that we don’t actually live in a country where this parable has more meaning than merely an entertaining story.