Mandelson, Epstein and the ‘deceitfulness of wealth’

Our headlines have been dominated by the drip-fed horror of the Epstein files; the realisation that rich and powerful people used precisely those riches and that power to prey on young women in unspeakably evil ways.

This has featured in the news for years; the erstwhile Prince Andrew only one among the famous who have been caught in the net of scandal. But another figure in the spotlight has been Peter Mandelson, whose relationship with Epstein has been revealed to be revoltingly close, and whose downfall has rocked the government, having been appointed by Sir Keir Starmer as US Ambassador.

In a recent interview with The Times, Mandelson was asked whether his judgment around the rich and powerful was fatally flawed. I found his response striking: “I don’t think I am drawn towards rich people so much as rich people have big personalities, a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience to share. I hoover that up, but not because they’re wealthy. It’s because of what they do and what they’ve learnt and the responsibilities they’ve exercised, not the size of their bank accounts.”

This struck me as a textbook example of something our Lord Jesus teaches about: in His parable of the sower, Jesus speaks of seed sown among thorns, which springs up at first, but then, “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word” (Mark 4v19). It is that little phrase – the deceitfulness of wealth – that stands out to me. And Mandelson’s excuses show how thoroughly he had been deceived. In the Epstein files, does Jeffrey Epstein come across as knowledgeable in an impressive way, experienced in an attractive way, or having exercised responsibility in any significant way? Hardly. It is his wealth, and the access it afforded him, and the appetites it allowed him to satisfy, that drew so many in.

Jesus is such a wise and masterful teacher; had He merely mentioned “wealth”, we would lack the subtle insight He gives us. Wealth can be so deceitful: promising us a security it cannot deliver, derailing us from seeking lasting treasure, turning us against others in resentment of those who have more or disdain for those who have less. And we kid ourselves if we think we are immune to that deception. The scrutiny under which Mandelson, and so many, currently squirm, is remorseless – but it is as nothing compared with the heart-searching, secret-revealing judgment of the wrath to come.

And there is only one person who can save us from that – the same one who teaches us of the deceitfulness of wealth. The same one who tells us it would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round our necks than cause little ones to stumble (Mark 9v42), whose eyes miss nothing of the injustice done to the precious victims of exploitation and abuse. The same one who promises intimate and exclusive access, not to the wise and learned, or the movers and shakers, or the rich and powerful, but reveals the great secrets of heaven to little children, and gives His rest to the weary and burdened (Matthew 1p1v25-28). In Him alone is justice to be found; from Him alone is mercy on offer; to Him alone we must come.