raising your little elephant

Chapter Sixteen- What is Good?

At the conclusion of each creative day the Bible states that God saw that his creation was good. What comes to mind when you hear the word good? As a noun it is defined in the English language as "that which is morally right or righteous, beneficial." As an adjective it is defined as "desired or approved of." Then again as an adverb it can be used interchangeably with the word well. Did you know this one word was so hard to pin down?

Let's approach this word another way by getting to the root of the matter. The Hebrew Aramaic word "tov" carries the meaning of something that is "functional or functioning within its intended purpose". This sounds a lot like the mechanical response often given by a certain android from the popular T.V. series Star Trek the Next Generation. Is this word nothing more than a logic-based concept governed by our frontal lobe? If it is, then does that mean that our figurative heart doesn't even get involved. We all know that is simply not true. I get angry just thinking about it.

Perhaps Jesus of Nazareth can help us unlock the true meaning behind this word. By analyzing it from his standpoint rather than our own preconceived notions, we may be able to find a much deeper and richer meaning to this word that is seen as an antonym for evil or bad.

Let's approach this through the words of a physician of the first century of our common era, who researched this instructor's wise sayings. His name was Luke. It is found in his letter to a good friend in the Eighteenth chapter and verse eighteen. A rich young ruler had just approached Jesus with a question about how to gain unending life. He addressed Jesus with the title "Good Teacher". In verse Nineteen Jesus replies in a way that no one expects and few comprehend today. He asks: "Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God."

Depending on your theological beliefs about Jesus true identity you may find many different ways of interpreting these words. If Jesus was God Almighty then this was a grand proclamation of his personal goodness. Case closed. Close the book God's a narcissist. End of story. However, if this was a humble admission that was an objection to him being labeled as good, as it appears to be, since he stated it as a question, then he was separating himself from his God and Father. Something about him was different from God that made him hold back from being titled "Good". What could it be?

Many decades later in his letter to Hebrew speaking Christians a close friend of Luke named Paul wrote something that may explain Jesus' seeming objection. In the Fifth chapter of that letter Paul wrote that "Although [Jesus] was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered". Now, most people think Jesus was good because they will often equate the word good with the word perfect. If he was perfect then he had to be good. Right? This is once again reverse reasoning. How could the perfect son of God learn obedience when he was already perfect? Moreover, how could he learn at all if he was God Almighty? Although he was without sin, he still had to be tested to show that free-will could be exercised responsibly even in the worst of situations. Remaining obedient under test would reveal whether his love for his father was great enough to make his integrity complete. Did you notice that last word? COMPLETE. What if good and complete or perfect are actually all synonyms?

This is a crazy idea, but it would explain Jesus' response about no one being good but God. Jesus knew he still had some growing to do in learning to become complete in his obedience. Okay, now that we have this concept under our belt, lets go back to the garden of Eden and revisit something that was said right before God made Eve out of Adam's rib.

After giving Adam the assignment of identifying animals with names, the creator says something that sounds a bit odd in a world where everything is proclaimed as good. In the Second chapter of Genesis verse eighteen God by name states: "It is not good..." What is not good? "For the man to continue alone". Consider the word good means complete. The creator sees Adam as incomplete. So, his next words make complete sense. So, he adds: "I am going to make a helper as a complement of him." The spelling of this word should not be confused with the word compliment which is flattering to our ego. Complement with an "e" simply means completement. Adam and Eve were binary. They would complete each other. Thus, the phrase in marriage: "They became one flesh."

It is only after this union of a man and a woman that God proclaims that creative day, not only good or complete, but as "very good!" When you look at those seemingly disjointed definitions the common thread that holds them all together is that they share the concept of completion. Raising our little elephant suddenly resembles raising clay on a potters wheel. Watch as two hands come together to lift the clay. The pottery may become a beautiful work of art one day but first it must be raised up by a mind that can guide it to perfection.

In order for us to allow this process to take hold in our life we must believe that such a mind exists. We must also trust that he is interested in us personally. We must also have faith that our own identity will not be lost by allowing him to guide our path. This is a nice story but I don't even know who he is. The word 'God' has left a bad taste in many people's mouths. Others have worshiped the creator with no regard for the effect their devotion has had on their fellow humans.

Historically the pantheon of deities have revealed some of the most narcissistic behaviors imaginable. All religions are stained with these concepts. This makes it very difficult to trust that there is actually someone up there who really cares about anything but feeding their own ego. We will begin addressing these mental roadblocks in the next chapter.