You may have heard of the almost-expected bribe money as you travel through immigration or government approvals in some countries. Indonesia is one of those, except that bribery and corruption has made its way so far up the levels of government that it’s become a national crisis. In 2026, Indonesia stepped up its campaign to crack down on governmental corruption, and has followed with a slew of at least 20 high profile arrests. In June alone, the head of the National Nutrition Agency was arrested for pocketing large amounts of money designated to feed the poor; the Deputy Minister for Immigration was led away in handcuffs for embezzling public funds; and the Education Minister received a 10 year prison sentence for a computer procurement scandal. Then in July, the top prosecutor for Anti-Corruption was arrested in a raid which found gold bars and millions of dollars in multiple currencies in his home. The expression, “The fox guarding the chicken coup” comes immediately to mind.
Of course, Indonesia is not alone in high level government corruption. Venezuela’s Maduro government was complicit in rampant state corruption, economic mismanagement, and criminal entanglements. The Mexican Sinaloa governor was recently indicted for his role in the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico. And Serbia is in riot over unapologetic corruption in almost every level of government.
So what does the Bible say? The needle of the Compass doesn’t point to corruption. That’s everywhere in every generation. Instead it points to the believer in Jesus. Jesus says we are Salt of the earth and Light of the world (Matthew 5:16). Paul addresses us as “letters written by God, known and read of all men” (2 Corinthians 3:3), and calls us to be “lights in a perverse and twisted generation” (Philippians 2:15). At the heart of the Biblical perspective is the holiness of God’s people placed as spiritual buildings with Jesus as our Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:5). So let’s heed that call. Grieve over corruption, but stay sanctified in the Word. Never be tempted to do as this world does. Never let yourself be squeezed into its mold. Be holy even as God is holy.
