2010-01-10
Explanation
This comic tackles a theological question about the Book of Genesis. In the first panel, a person asks a priest: "Wait a sec. If God is all-powerful, why did he need a rib from Adam to make Eve?" This is a legitimate theological puzzle -- if God can create anything from nothing, why would he need raw material from Adam'''s body to create Eve? The second panel, labeled "Earlier...," flashes back to a heavenly barbecue scene where Adam cheerfully greets God: "Oh, hey God! What'''d you bring for the barbeque?" The implication is that God brought a rib to the barbecue -- specifically Adam'''s rib -- and then used the leftover to create Eve, suggesting the rib removal was not a theological necessity but rather God'''s contribution to a cookout.
The joke reframes one of the most well-known stories in the Bible as a casual, mundane social situation. Instead of the rib extraction being a mysterious act of divine creation, it turns out God just needed a rib for a barbecue and then figured he might as well use what was left over to make a woman. This deflates the solemnity of the Genesis narrative by suggesting that major creation events were really just byproducts of God'''s social calendar. The humor lies in the vast gap between the reverent way the story is traditionally told and the absurdly casual actual reason.
The votey panel shows God (represented by a halo behind a cloud or a divine figure) saying "A single, bloody rib!" This suggests God is being mocked or criticized for bringing such a meager contribution to the barbecue -- just one rib -- which is both a hilariously stingy offering for a potluck and also explains why he only had enough material to make one Eve. It reframes God as a cheapskate dinner guest rather than an omnipotent creator.