Jesus was a whistleblower.
My dad was a whistleblower.
If my earthly dad and heavenly Father blew whistles, then the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Or as we say in the south “We come by it honestly.”
I can see why people don’t speak up.
I can see why people don’t want to talk about it, because maybe they fear that what happened to the whistleblower will happen to them.
Fear is instilled for standing up for truth.
But catching me not bowing down. Jesus makes me care about His heart more than keeping silent. I will not be silent about things that matter.
My only fear is the fear of the Lord and I am living my life for what delights His heart.
- Challenges in Trust- After an incident like whistle-blowing managers and employees may not trust the person that may have told trade secrets. Employees maybe be hesitant to share information.
- Retaliation- Even though the federal government has made protection laws whistle-blowers, their work place could still be filled with hostility or resentment. Employees may be subject to the cold shoulder or snubbing.
- Stress- Most employees stay at their place of employment because it’s illegal to fire someone for whistle-blowing. However, the stress of the retaliation can lead to anxiety, insomnia, and headaches.
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- Employers may fire a whistleblower, or pressure them into quitting.
- Employees who don’t quit may be bullied, demoted, isolated or harassed.
- An employer may push a whistleblower into mental health counseling, then portray them as mentally ill and unreliable.
- Although retaliation is illegal, it’s possible to portray retaliation as something else, for example, a negative review for poor performance.
What does the Bible say?
Jesus was a whistleblower throughout His ministry.
John describes his clearing the temple near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (John 2:12-17). Luke describes a similar clearing of the temple at the end of his ministry (Luke 19:45-46). Matthew devotes all of chapter 23 to Jesus telling the crowds and his disciples about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Seven times he starts a section of the chapter with the words, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees….” He simply would not let religious leaders go on with their usual practices.
Whistleblowing among missionaries began with Paul shortly after the first term of missionary service in Acts 15. After he and Barnabas returned to their sending church, some men came to it and were promoting some faulty theology. Paul confronted these men and finally went to Jerusalem to report it to headquarters. After much discussion, those at headquarters agreed with Paul’s theology.
Those who report
People who become whistleblowers often find that harmful things occur: however, in long run they feel satisfaction that they did the right thing. Laws exist in the USA to protect whistleblowers, but those laws are not always applied, and it may be impossible to prove the wrong. The list of possible consequences is endless, but some common ones are listed here.
- Reprisal or retaliation
- Legal action, social stigma, or humiliation
- Firings or transferals to insignificant work
- Accused of being unethical or breaking promises
My eyes are wide open.
I see what is happening.
Welcome to the first fruits of persecution in America.
We have just begun and I pray we will all stand firm til the end.
