Son of Cain Through the Looking Glass

The thief on the cross was just that, a thief. He was not a good guy. He was a bad guy. At the beginning of the crucifixion ordeal he had mocked Christ along with the other thief. As the other thief continued to mock, this thief admitted that he was getting what he deserved, and thankfully he had a change of mind and heart. Hanging there on the cross he expressed his faith in Christ.

Christ did not thumb his nose at the thief, who as I said had previously mocked him. No, to this man who had nothing to offer but a soiled life, Christ offered grace—amazing grace!

Thinking about the thief on the cross got me thinking about Cain, the Old Testament character in Genesis who killed his brother, Abel. It is common to speak of the curse of Cain, because in his rebellion he was sent out from the presence of God. He became a wanderer. I wondered, “What would life have been like for Cain’s progeny? What might have been the attitude of a ‘son of Cain’?” So began my Bible based novella, Son of Cain, a picture, somewhat of a metaphor.

Dar’ock comes many years after Cain, but feels the sting of Cain’s curse. He sees God as “a god,” and misunderstanding the nature of God, determines to find him and have words with him. There are people today who feel antagonism toward God, anger, resentment, confusion, and would have words with him if they could. Sin? Not an issue! God’s injustice is the issue.

In that regard, Dar’ock’s story may be your story. Oh, and in the midst of the story a sweet light shines. Yennea is the antithesis to Dar’ock. She too has reason to resent God, but instead beauty shines forth and the shadow it casts irritates Dar’ock. But then, Christians who truly live Christ often irritate those walking in darkness.

Still, Son of Cain is a story of grace, God’s extraordinary grace, the kind of grace Christ extended from the cross, not only to the thief, but to those who nailed him to that cursed tree. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” No vindictive spirit lashing out in resentment, but rather, love reaching out with grace.

I hope my readers will enjoy entering the fascinating world of Dar’ock, a son of Cain, as much as I enjoyed creating his world. The story is rooted in biblical history, and I do not think the fantasy aspects take anything away from its biblical moorings. I personally love the story, because God’s grace is a reality in my own life.