Our Father and Our Brother and Our Son
Sometimes, a song lyric moves the theme for a Sunday meditation. This week is an example. I read the lectionary scriptures for this week, focusing per usual on the New Testament readings from Hebrews and Mark. The Hebrews passage references Jesus as our brother. Mark, while not explicitly referring to Jesus as father, describes him as a fatherly figure. This picture that to us Jesus is both father and brother recalled a lyric from Michael Card’s 1986 song, “Forgiving Eyes.” The song is musical rendition of the Woman Caught in Adultery story from John 7. The song is written from the perspective of the woman. The first verse describes the woman being caught in the act and being brought in front of an ad hoc Jewish court. Rabbi Jesus happens to be there, and he’s asked his opinion. The moment Jesus begins speaking, the woman understands that there’s hope for her. The woman cries, My judge a man from Galilee In His eyes so gentle I could see A father and a brother and a son A father, a