A Christmas during crisis

A Christmas during crisis

By Aleksius Jemadu and Venny D. Jemadu

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): As Indonesians desperately seek a
quick economic recovery from the current crisis, Christmas could
become a source of spiritual strength.

The birth of Jesus Christ almost 2000 years ago radically
changed the course of human history. In the book of Romans 3:23-
24, Paul wrote "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus".

The fact that Jesus experienced the suffering and joys of life
the way all humans do has given us hope to be reconciled to God
and to gain eternal life.

Human reason is too limited to understand the mystery of God's
incarnation. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, did not really
understand what was happening. She could only surrender to the
will of God.

Therefore, the simplicity of Christmas and Jesus' life should
teach Indonesians a very important lesson in dealing with the
current economic crisis. The gospel of Luke gave a detailed
account of the birth of Jesus in Betlehem. It was reported that
the baby Jesus was placed in a manger because there was no room
for the family in the inn. Jesus was purposefully born into the
poverty of humankind in order to show people how much God loves
and cares.

In this time of economic hardship, it would be wise for
Indonesians to acknowledge their humble human weaknesses and past
mistakes so that they can move forward with a renewed spirit. It
would be in contradiction to the simplicity of Christmas if it
was celebrated in a spirit of consumerism.

It is believed that the economic crisis which has paralyzed
the economies of Indonesia and other countries in this region has
been, to a certain extent, due to ill-designed economic policies.

Richard Lacayo, for instance, was quoted by Time magazine in
its Dec. 8 edition as arguing that "East Asia's troubles rest in
large part on the region's intricately developed system of crony
capitalism, in which personal connections trump the rule of law
or markets almost every time".

It is a saddening fact that the development of capitalism in
East Asia has been dominated by the coexistence of an
uncontrolled accumulation of capital by a privileged few and the
deterioration of public accountability. The liquidation of dozens
of banks and other financial institutions in Indonesia, Thailand
and South Korea clearly indicates that the use of public funds
has not been accompanied by a strong commitment to protect public
interest. It should come as no surprise that the first target of
the International Monetary Fund's cure was a radical reform in
financial systems.

By now, it should be realized that a democratic political
system with a clear mechanism of public accountability should
become a necessary condition for the development of capitalism
with a human face. Capitalism without a democratic political
system could lead to a fragile and unjust prosperity. The
willingness of Jesus Christ to be born amid very inconvenient
circumstances indicates that human life cannot be reduced into a
mere pursuit of material wellbeing.

It should be noted, however, that Jesus himself has a very
positive view on human desire to pursue material wealth. Indeed,
Jesus once told his disciples that he came to this world so that
his people might have life and live it to the full (John 10:10).

In fact, according to the book of Genesis, God's curse upon
Adam and Eve following their fall into sin had both spiritual and
physical dimensions. Not only did they fall short of the glory of
God but they were forced to work hard and cultivate the ground to
survive. Through his death on the cross, Jesus took this curse of
physical suffering upon himself in order to save his people.
Thus, Jesus' coming to this world had a double mission: to
liberate humankind from both spiritual and physical deprivation.

Taking into account the relevance of Jesus' teachings to the
current situation, it would be no exaggeration to say that
Christmas could become a source of strength and encouragement to
Indonesians who must work hard to gain a quick economic recovery.

Indonesians need to put aside their primordial differences and
unite to improve the performance of the national economy. Every
able citizen should feel obliged to do something positive for the
nation.

It is, however, important to reemphasize the central role of
the government. There is growing concern that social unrest could
happen at any time due to an increasing number of people without
jobs, high inflation and a dramatic decrease of people's living
standards.

The political system needs to facilitate an equal distribution
of development resources. Without effective public control over
the implementation of political power, economic growth would
benefit only those in power.

The spirit of servanthood is known to be the dominant
characteristic of Jesus' mission while he was still on earth.
Government employees are public servants. Thus, to govern is
actually to serve, for sovereignty belongs to the people.

Unfortunately, in many cases, it is the people who are
pressured to serve government officials by giving a financial
reward for quick service. The people would have more respect for
the government if it served without demanding extra rewards.

With the joy of Christmas, it is not necessary to worry about
the nation's future. Indonesians should face tomorrow with
courage and tenacity. The history of great nations, like Germany
and the United States, shows that they had to surmount huge
obstacles before they could reach their present condition.

Christmas has given us hope for a spiritual and material
restoration.

The writers are a couple living in Bandung, West Java.