The first two verses of The First Time seem pretty straightforward to me.
A lover teaches him to "sing" and shows him love in the way of eros.
A brother shows him love in another way, helping him when he needs it. A brother does not, of course, need to be a relative.
The third verse is quite a bit different, though.
My father is a rich man
He wears a rich man's cloak
Gave me the keys to his kingdom coming
Gave me a cup of gold
He said, "I have many mansions
And there are many rooms to see"
But I left by the back door
And I threw away the key
Ok, first, we're not talking about Bob here.
The first two relationships (lover, brother) were embraced. But his Father was rejected. Why?
This verse comes from John 14, when Jesus tells his disciples that he will be leaving (crucified). They tell him they will follow him anywhere, but he explains they cannot go where he is going - not yet, anyway. But he will prepare a place for them. This place is heaven, of course.
1 ’SDo not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’"s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Okay, so the Father here is God, and his mansions and rooms are heaven, and heaven is infinite so that any of us could go there if we follow the word.
But why does the verse refer to the trappings of wealth?
My father is a rich man
He wears a rich man's cloak
...
Gave me a cup of gold
Jesus was born in a sty to a pair of "nobodys" rather than in a palace to a king and queen, on purpose. Jesus spent his life elevating the poor and cautioning against the false promise of wealth - easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle for a rich man to get into heaven and allathat.
So why does this verse use such terms? Why is it a mansion and not a house, as in the NIV translation?
And why does he chuck the key away? In a song about love, where does that leave us?
The first two verses of The First Time seem pretty straightforward to me.
A lover teaches him to "sing" and shows him love in the way of eros.
A brother shows him love in another way, helping him when he needs it. A brother does not, of course, need to be a relative.
The third verse is quite a bit different, though.
My father is a rich man He wears a rich man's cloak Gave me the keys to his kingdom coming Gave me a cup of gold
He said, "I have many mansions And there are many rooms to see" But I left by the back door And I threw away the key
Ok, first, we're not talking about Bob here.
The first two relationships (lover, brother) were embraced. But his Father was rejected. Why?
This verse comes from John 14, when Jesus tells his disciples that he will be leaving (crucified). They tell him they will follow him anywhere, but he explains they cannot go where he is going - not yet, anyway. But he will prepare a place for them. This place is heaven, of course.
1 ’SDo not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’"s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Okay, so the Father here is God, and his mansions and rooms are heaven, and heaven is infinite so that any of us could go there if we follow the word.
But why does the verse refer to the trappings of wealth?
My father is a rich man He wears a rich man's cloak ... Gave me a cup of gold
Jesus was born in a sty to a pair of "nobodys" rather than in a palace to a king and queen, on purpose. Jesus spent his life elevating the poor and cautioning against the false promise of wealth - easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle for a rich man to get into heaven and allathat.
So why does this verse use such terms? Why is it a mansion and not a house, as in the NIV translation?
And why does he chuck the key away? In a song about love, where does that leave us?