The words good and bad, or right and wrong – make up the basic nomenclature we assume defines morality. But this only goes to show you how the familiarity of language tends to create our shorthand understanding of meaning . . . a shorthand that very often ends up insulating us from the actual meaning. A good pocket watch can be distinguished from a bad one based simply on whether or not it works. And if it keeps the right time, instead of the wrong time – we consider it a good pocket watch . . . but no one would be tempted to call it a morally correct pocket watch.
Within the Jewish culture, to describe someone as a “real mensch” is high praise, indeed. Mensch is the Yiddish word for someone of integrity, honor, and admirable character – a good person. But what I find interesting is its etymology which is human being. Therefore a real mensch is a real human being . . . implying that being a real human being should be for us all an aspirational goal. I find this to be a profoundly ontological/ teleological insight. For in the same way, a good pocket watch can be recognized for simply doing what it was created to do – being a good person boils down to living as we were designed to live.
What a wonderfully uncomplicated understanding of morality, one devoid of all those legalistic stipulations and self-appointed arbiters of acceptable behavior – a morality that won’t constantly obsess over capitulating to mercurial vagaries of social conformity. For it is a morality that emphasizes the importance of being . . . overdoing. Inviting us to embrace the ontological core of our being — as image bearers of God. So, like the good pocket watch, is characterized by accurately keeping time – bearing God’s image requires us to remember why we were created in the first place. And we were all created to glorify God and to enjoy him forever . . . and everything else is, to quote Shakespeare, “sound and fury signifying nothing.”
In this regard, living rightly (or righteously) is best understood in terms of being in right relationship to God. 2 Corinthians 5: 18-21 explains it best “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Being reconciled to God and being agents of that reconciliation exemplifies the righteousness of God. Romans 8: 29 tells us we are being conformed to the image of Christ – completing the circle. So we are both made in the image of God and being conformed to the image of Christ “. . . so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Paul underscores this with the simple phrase “. . . to live is Christ” Philippians 1:21 So all is made right, not as some foolish byproduct of our moralizing presumptions about behavior, but rather as an outworking of Christ within us.
. . . so let us turn our eyes upon Jesus.
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