Be Sure Your Sins

Rose Garden, Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, VA

But each one is tempted when, of his own evil desire,

he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived,

it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, 

gives birth to death.

James 1:14-15

On October 14, Barbara Walters was granted an exclusive interview with Bernie Madoff, the orchestrator of an elaborate $65 billion ponzi scheme – the worst financial fraud scam in U.S. history. Madoff bilked millions of dollars out of thousands of people – from the rich and famous to corporations, charities and the everyday man. When Madoff confessed to his two sons that his entire investment network was a fraud, they turned in their own father to the authorities in December of 2008.  Two years later, one of those sons, Mark Madoff, committed suicide – unable to live any longer with the consequences of what his father had done.  This tragedy resulted in the complete estrangement from Madoff of the rest of his family.

The most striking element for me of Walters’ interview with Madoff is his complete unconcern for the victims of his fraud.  He said that he could live with their anger, and showed no great remorse for the financial disaster that they suffered.    He claimed that investors were angry because “…the gravy train is over.”  His personal pain at the loss of his family’s respect and love, however, is a prominent part of his conversation with Walters.

This scenario of “I’m not nearly as sorry for what I did as I am for the consequences I must bear” is played out over and over in the lives of people from every walk of life and every level of society.  A husband or wife embarks on an affair, is caught, and suddenly “suffers” the end of the marriage and the estrangement of the spouse and children.  An employee is caught with his hand in the till and finds himself out on the street without job or income.  Often there is no remorse for the actions, only for the ensuing consequences.

One of my mother’s favorite sayings was, “Be sure your sin will find you out,” a reference to Number 32:23.  In Luke 12:2, Jesus says, “For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid that shall not be known.”  My father’s favorite saying?  “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”  Together those two thoughts make wonderful words to live by – today and every day.

Blog sources:  Internet ABC News: Madoff Widow Blames Bernie for Death of Son; 

ABC News: Bernie Madoff “Can Live With” Fraud Victim’s Anger, but not Family’s