S1-Day 8: God at Dirty places: I, the Corrupted Temple of God

The newspapers reported, in pictures, the protests of agitated migrants who found hell between their hunger and asylum. On the other hand, media sensationalizes attention of the government over the request of the emigrated people abroad. Do these two similar yet contrasting stories have any connection with corruption? What does it mean to be corrupted here? Can corruption be seen as resistance in this context? Does God dwell in such a corrupted place?

Corruption, as the abuse of power for the personal gain, that affects public office is predominantly known as a negative term for ages. In other words, corruption is defined as the use of any power, through which one violates the established standardized law that affects the common people and forces them to get things done.

Consistently in the history of state, politics and religion, corruption with official power is unnoticed, justified, forgotten and given the preferable places as affluent VIPs. The corruption of the people at the periphery is branded as anti-social, law/constitutional violators. They are ex-communicated from the social, political and religious participation which in turn makes them silent. Thus, the colonial power criminalizes the offences of such dispossessed people, who stand up to fight for their survival. They are made silent. Such is the case of protesters in India in the recent past. 

However, the ‘gang-power’ of the migrants with their uncertain future before eyes started marching back towards the womb in search of ‘rebirth’. The left discerns the impossibility in the march, that heads to the grave rather than to the womb, as the womb is also ejecting to accept back. In this context they gather their labour power to confront colonial powers and challenged them to grab their right to survival. Such powers labelled protesters as: corrupted criminals, anti-social elements and so on. Those in power assumed that the protest affected the public office, violating standardized law (section 144) as they dared to take ‘lathis’ against them. Thus, such 'corruption' of such migrants utilizing their ‘gang-power’ by breaking the law can be seen as resistance; as a place where God dwells and struggles along with them to give them life.

Jesus too, was accused and condemned for failing to follow the religious law (Torah) of Moses, as he facilitated the survival of the hungry in Matthew 12: 1- 8. He even overturned tables and questioned corruption as he entered the temple of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:12) and was branded a corrupt. Here the ‘corrupted Jesus Christ’ confronted the religious bureaucracy challenging the Pharisees with the constructive breaking of the law.

Thus, this ‘corrupted' Jesus Christ’ is with the 'corrupted' people who violated the 'law' using their power to grab their rights. The affirmation of every migrant who fights for his/her right would just say "Yes, I am corrupted, with my struggle for my rights. Yes, I am the temple of God."

Prayer:

God of the law breakers, who constructs a meaningful communion of humanity, bless the corrupted in their struggles for their rights, to experience your reign in this world. Amen.

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Author: Jenifa Rani

Jenifa Rani pursued BD from UTC, Bangalore and worked with the CSI Diocese of Tirunelveli, Pastorally Ministering with Persons with Hearing Impairment. She later interned at NCCI with the National Programme Commission on Unity and Mission, the Indian Ecumenical Disability Accompaniment and the National Ecumenical Forum of Gender and Sexual Diversities.