Mennonite Weekly Review

A grim joke about the U.S. economy says things will get worse before they get worse. But how bad will that be? And which is wiser, corporate bailouts or letting market forces render a cold verdict? Opinions are many, clear answers few.

The latest hard call on the economy is whether to rescue the three leading U.S. automakers. In November Congress weighed a $25 billion aid proposal, a handout with no guarantee of success, against risking the failure of companies whose demise might cost 2.5 million jobs.

The question is bigger than whether GM, Ford, Chrysler and their rich executives deserve a bailout. More important is to judge what’s best for the national economy and the auto industry in the long run. Perhaps nothing less than total collapse — in this case, bankruptcy in Detroit — can transform a dysfunctional system.

The consequences of failure can have redeeming effects. All too often we don’t learn anything unless we’re forced to pay the price for our mistakes.

In biblical terms, it’s the old story of sin and salvation. Sometimes we have to fall a long way before we accept God’s bailout offer.

Ancient Israel certainly did. God warned the prophet Isaiah about the cycle of crash and recovery. In Isaiah 6, when God calls Isaiah to preach, God says the prophet’s message will fall on dull ears, calloused hearts and closed eyes.

How long will it be before the people listen? Isaiah asks. “Until the cities lie ruined,” God answers. “Until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken” (Isaiah 6:11-12).

Only after Israel hits bottom will salvation break through. Then, when redemption comes, “there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress… . The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1-2).

The Advent of the Prince of Peace follows the familiar pattern of God’s saving action. From slavery to Promised Land, from exile to return, the Lord is a God of both justice and mercy. People are free to choose sin and to fall. Our choices have consequences, for God is just. But we are also free to change and to repent. Our sins are forgiven, for God is merciful.

The people of Israel discovered they had to reap what they sowed. At the same time, they learned that God is in control. They found that God’s judgment and God’s grace go hand in hand. Without the pain of exile there is no joy of restoration.

At Advent, we enter the experience of captives in a foreign land, longing for a return to Zion. We have endured the consequences of our sin. We’ve seen things go from bad to worse. Now we are waiting for rescue by the Savior whose reign of justice and righteousness will never end.