Good Work (Part 2)
On Jesus The Carpenter and Excellent Work
Ben Dockery | Est. 5 minutes
Imagine a group of construction workers are nearing the end of a major home building project. It’s big. It’s elaborate - showing off the family’s power and prestige.
Near the end of the work day, a structure of wood and stone is not quite fitting together properly. It’s one of those issues that is barely noticeable but opens a crack for future issues. One worker offers a solution, ‘Meh, it’s good enough. Let’s just call it good. No one will ever see.” Another chimes in with agreement. You can fill in the rest of the conversation.
What is going on? Be careful how you answer - you are about to reveal your doctrine of work: What’s the standard for work? What’s the motivation for work? What story do we tell ourselves about the work we do (and don’t do)?
In the previous article (part 1), I focused on understanding work inside of the story of the world. We make sense of our lives (and work lives) by working from and for something. In short, your work will not make sense unless you put it into the right story. The biblical story pronounces work as good, part of what we were created to do. Part 2 outlines good work in light of God’s work.
What if I told you the worker who said ‘It’s good enough - let’s just call it good,’ was Jesus. How does that strike you? Is it consistent or inconsistent with your view of Jesus?
Jesus, along with his father Joseph, is described as a “tektōn” (Greek for builder, craftsman, or carpenter). Records show workers in Nazareth were contracted by Herod to build his summer palace in Sepphoris. It was equipped with elaborate road work, a large amphitheater, and remarkable mosaics that you can still visit today. Some scholars speculate that Joseph would have been among Herod’s hired hands, thus, boy Jesus would have joined in the construction site conversations.
The Bible is good and wise to tell us of Jesus ‘the carpenter’ - validating human labor in a way unimaginable in many religions. Still, I think it is amazing how little we know of his actual labors. We don’t have enough information to ever get caught trying to imitate a specific swing of the hammer or style of masonry work.
Jesus did good work. Advocating for “good work” does not mean mediocre work. “Meh” or “good enough” don’t seem to fit with God as a worker. The universe is filled with created goods par excellence. In fact, we should associate good work with excellent work. Here are four reasons.
The DNA of Excellence
1. Excellence begins with God.
Andreas Kostenberger argues, “Excellence is bound up with the nature and character of God. God is the grounds of all true excellence. He is the one who fills any definition of excellence with meaning, and he is the reason why we cannot be content with lackluster mediocrity, halfhearted effort… Excellence starts and ends with God and is first and foremost a hallmark and attribute of God. Without God as our starting point and continual frame of reference, our discussion of excellence would be hopelessly inadequate.”
Look around at the work God did in creation, you see his attributes on display. Follow his lead in excellence.
2. Excellence is deeper than an achievement.
It is true that there are excellent paintings and commercials; excellent TedTalks and cappuccinos. Endless achievements exhibit excellence, however, the Bible’s emphasis on excellence leans toward who we become through the process of pursuing excellence. The key term for excellence in the Greek, ἀρετὴ (arete), is only used in three verses in the New Testament (Phil 4:8; 2 Pet 1:3, 5).
Paul, in Philippians 4, calls his readers to consider and embody a list of virtues that lead to wisdom - ‘excellence’ is the summary at the end of the list. Similarly, Peter (2 Pet. 1), makes ‘excellence’ the foundation of a life of godliness. He locates the concept in Christ’s moral excellence. This means we are talking about something deeper than mere achievements.
3. Excellence is costly.
There are countless examples of choosing ‘nicer’ things/products at a higher cost. While true, I am not suggesting excellence is more financially expensive. Instead, I am suggesting it is not easy. It costs you.
Excellence carries these characteristics: discipline, denial, delayed gratification, etc. No one applauds someone for traveling 26.2 miles in a car. You put a marathon sticker when you run 26.2. It’s the grit and determination of the achievement.
Even better. Have you ever read the memorable exchange between a great artist and one of his admirers?: One night after Paderweski had given one of the greatest concerts of his brilliant career, he was greeted by an overeager fan who said, ‘Oh, I’d give my life to be able to play like you do.’ Paderewski replied, ‘I did.’”1 The cost results in the honor of ‘good work’.
4. Excellence tells a story.
This is what branding and online reviews are all about. You select an architect or photographer or restaurant based on the reputation - the story people tell about their work. The hope is clearly to experience a version of the excellence reported by others.
But, excellence doesn’t guarantee ‘good work’. Early in the biblical story is a troubling account of humans building a tower up to heaven. The construction project tells a story - a story that breaks a number of key commands from God.
Instead of filling the earth (Gen 1:28 command), people stop to build a tower and avoid being scattered across the earth. Through their work, the Babel architects try to make a name for themselves (not receive God’s name for them). It’s the opposite of God’s promise to Abraham, I (not you) will make your name great. The project also counters the call to fill the earth. It might even be a play on words from Genesis 3, “come, let us make.” (not accept what God made).
Good Work: The True Story
To be fair, it appears to be an “excellent” tower. The Babel builders made impressive bricks and tar, stronger than past stone structures (see Gen 11:3). Still, the tower told the wrong story.
Work, especially grand projects, regularly tell false stories of the world: You need to make your own name. You need to avoid the limits and logic of God’s creation. Your comfort and convenience are ultimate. You must live your best life now…
On the contrary, shoddy work tells others we don’t care. Mediocre effort often represents our care for our comfort over the good of others. We are telling a story of what God is like when we represent him in our work. He entrusts image bearers with his reputation. The church, in particular, is a people called to do good and holy work. But, what kind of work do we do?
This summer, I stood on the amphitheater Herod built by stone-masons (tektōnes) like Joseph and Jesus. It’s about 2000 yrs old. Herod tried to make a name for himself through his achievements. While excellent, it wasn’t good. He rejected the moral excellence Paul and Peter called the church to embody.
Unlike Herod, Jesus came not to build buildings for himself (be served), but to build for others (serve). His good work made life possible for others, even at great cost to himself. That is the kind of story we want all of our work to tell.
