Why did You ask that?
Posted: April 4, 2008 12:39 pmFiled under: Kevin, Uncategorized
For quite some time, I’ve been humored by a few questions found in an early dialogue.
Especially and particularly I’ve been humored by the first recorded questions, which are found in the Genesis account.
And, regarding questions, the first recorded question is this: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
That question is recorded to have been asked by the serpent (which represented a typology or the embodiment of evil), and was addressed to Eve.
Though it may also be interesting to note, why Eve and not Adam? That question can be saved for a later discussion.
The next series of questions were asked by God. They are, in order: 1.) “Where are you?”; 2.) “Who told you that you were naked?”; 3.) Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”; and 4.) “What is this that you have done?”
What has been a source of ongoing humor for me is the fact that it’s recorded that God asked questions.
Here we have a record of an omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God asking questions! Why would such a Being possessing the quality of omnisciency ask questions? It’s truly pointless, right? After all, if One is all-knowing, then it’s self-evident that there is nothing that cannot be unknown, because everything (past, present and future) is already and forever known.
What then, is the point?
According to a method of inquiry delineated by the Greek philosopher Socrates, and known as the “Socratic method,” there are six types of questions. In no particular order they include questions that, 1. Clarify concepts; 2. Probe assumptions, 3. Probe rationale, reasons and evidence; 4. Question viewpoints and perspectives; 5. Probe implications & consequences; 6. Question the question.
Some have said Socrates delineated five basic types of questions: 1. Factual; 2. Convergent; 3. Divergent; 4. Evaluative; and 6. Combination.
Regarding questions which relate to knowledge and understanding, teachers, however, prefer educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy, developed in 1956. And according to his hierarchy the types of questions are (from lowest to highest) Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The top three are affectionately called “HOTS,” or Higher Order Thinking Skills.
Yet another source identifies questions as being Open, Closed, Specific, Probing, Hypothetical, Reflective and Leading.
Fundamentally, the ostensible objective of questions is to assist the questioner to learn, to understand, or perhaps better yet, to know.
The primitive Hebrew word for “know” is transliterated as “yada.” “Yada” is a broad root word from which many implications can be, and are drawn.
Greek philosophers had a word for “know” which they called “gnosis.” Yet, there is a more broad meaning to the word “gnosis”, one which encompasses a spiritual sense and is, or expresses a “direct experiential knowledge of the supernatural or divine.” In other words, there is a search for something greater than (and therefore, outside of) the one doing the seeking. There is a search for something greater than the seeker. And, if there is something greater than the seeker, that greater thing must, therefore, exist outside of the seeker. The inference is that there IS something outside of oneself. After all, seekers search… right?
Fundamentally, the seeker is on a search for an answer to the question, “Is this (me) all there is?”
In the early to mid-1800’s Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier used the word “epistemology” to describe a branch of philosophy that dealt with knowledge. The fundamental issues addressed by epistemology are: “What is knowledge?”, “How is knowledge acquired?”, and “What do people know?”
We see an example of that type of knowledge (one higher than the one seeking, and containing a spiritual element) in Matthew’s gospel, chapter one, verse 18, where it’s recorded that the Virgin Mary discovered she was - as King James translators put it - “found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
What is fascinating, is that it seems that the Greek transliterates it as Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, rather than Mary first knowing it. The interlinear transliteration is rendered as follows:
“Tou/the •
de iesou/now Jesus •
christou/Christ •
e genesis/the birth •
outos/follows •
en mnesteutheises/was betrothed •
tes/the •
metros/mother •
autou/him •
marias/Mary •
to ioseph/the Joseph •
prin/before •
e sunelthein/and together •
autous/he •
euthre/found •
en gastri/child belly •
echousa/have •
ek pneumatos/of Spirit •
agiou/Holy.”
How and why it seems to be rendered that Joseph first found out Mary was pregnant is fascinating. We would, after all, rather suspect that the woman herself - women are, in my opinion, the natural timekeepers of the universe (they do have an innate and indwelling sense of time - every 28 days - approximately) and would therefore be the first to know.
There again, in the frequency of ability to conceive, we see the apparent results of that which was spoken by God, which was, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception…”
From a medical perspective, we know that women are more naturally predisposed toward depression, and that they have 12 rhythmic and natural hormonal cycles each year, going in and out of cycle every 28 days. In other words, their conception is greatly multiplied. Humans are the only specie that has such ability and capacity for pregnancy/birth. Most other animals have the ability to conceive, at most, perhaps twice annually.
Nevertheless… we are looking at questions, and why God asked questions.
Again, I think it somewhat humorous that God asked Adam and Eve a question. In fact, such an exchange would fit right in a “Comedy Channel” routine.
Imagine the ludicrousy of and the attitude and behavior with which the Knowing One would be portrayed - as if from a human perspective:
- God (Who already knows where Adam is) : “Adam, where are you?”
<doesn’t that remind you of your mother? They’re reputed to have eyes in the back of their heads, you know.>
- Adam (who thinks God doesn’t know where he is, or rather, that he is hiding from God): “I hid myself.”
- God (Who already knows what has happened and what’s going on): “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from that tree that I told you not to?”
<again, doesn’t that sound like our parents?>
- Adam (not wanting to ‘fess up and accept responsibility for what he has done, wants to “pass the buck” and blames Eve): “That woman you gave me fed me!”
<yeah… she force fed you… right?>
- God (playing along with Adam’s ‘pass the buck’ routine - perhaps because He wants Adam to think that He’s being fooled - then asks Eve, knowing already what happened): “What did you do?”
- Eve (with a repeat performance of Adam’s ‘pass the buck’ routine, accepting her own personal responsibility, but denying responsibility for her offer to Adam): “That snake lied to me, and I ate!”
- God (continuing to play along with Adam & Eve’s ‘pass the buck’ routine, then turns to the serpent): “Because you did this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field…”
Doesn’t it kinda’ make you want to ask God, “What were You thinking?
Why did You do that?”
What WAS God’s purpose in asking those questions?
We’re told that “In the beginning, ” everything was perfect.
Yet we see that the first instruction from the Creator to Adam was that he, “shall not eat.” King James states, “thou shall not eat.” (NKJV & KJV)
And Eve is recorded as having said, “God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it…’”
Clearly, an already imperfect relaying or rendition of the original set of instructions.
What’s going on?
Was the world already imperfect in it’s creation?
Was there something that happened that we don’t know about?
Of course, there had to have been!
We don’t know what we don’t know. And, we don’t know the first time Adam kissed Eve, or if he ever kissed Eve. We can only presume that he did. And, we can only presume that they had sexual intercourse more than the times that it’s recorded that they did.
Why? Because we’re human, and they were human. And we base our presumptions upon the fact that we are in identity with them by our humanity.
In other words, we have “gnosis” or “yada” of them by virtue of the fact that we have the fundamental and principle of our identity with them. We are, after all, human.
It’s not recorded that the Saviour pooped His diaper. Yet, I assure you, He did.
Let’s keep it real.
The Savior of all humanity was born with the stink of shit in his nostrils.
What an inglorious and ignoble birth, eh?
Our modern hospitals make His birth, and Mary’s experience pale in comparison.
That’s why, in my estimation, observation and experience, that He was born not just to the family of mankind, but as a common man, and to a common family.
In Him, we live and move and have our being…
