We are all our brothers’ keepers
Genesis 4:9c “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
“Why don’t you just mind your own business!”
Have you ever gotten a response like that when you were just trying to demonstrate some loving concern for someone else?
Our society has gotten to a point where the common understanding is that you stay out of other people’s business and they’ll stay out of your business. But just because our society has a certain idea, that doesn’t overrule what God says and the behavior and attitude which he encourages among Christians.
Our verse for this week is Cain’s arrogant and mocking response toward God when God confronted him after Cain had killed his brother, Abel. Cain uses this flippant response to try to ease his conscience.
So have you given the same flippant response to try to ease your conscience when you realized that you should have had some more or even some concern at all for a person? We might try to dismiss the qualms of our conscience by telling ourselves that we didn’t need to be butting into someone else’s business. We might try to reason that the idea of being our brother’s keeper is something just for people way back in Bible times.
Consider these words which God speaks to us through the Apostle Paul:
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21)
Those words clearly remind us that still today we, as children of God, are to be our brother’s keeper.
Perhaps you are wondering “Well, who is my brother?”. If you look at the 2nd line of the verses above, we are reminded to “live at peace with everyone”. “Our brother” is not limited to those we are related to, those we love and care for or even those we know. “Our brother” is anyone whom we come into contact with in our lives.
Think for a moment of all the people with whom you come into contact in your life. There are those whom you see regularly and know well. There are those whom you love and would do anything for. There are those whom you would never care if you don’t see them again and you think that you don’t have to do anything for them. Then there are those with whom you might have a one time, passing contact and you might think that if you don’t have or take the time to care for them, it won’t matter because, after all, you’ll never see them again.
There is a little phrase which I heard a number of years ago which is a great reminder: “You might be the only sermon which some people hear.”.
Realistically we cannot save the world and solve all the problems of every person we come in contact with. However we can open our eyes and be more aware of our “brothers” or “sisters” around us who would benefit greatly from us caring about them when so many others have ignored them or hurt them.
May God bless and equip you to lovingly and caringly be “your brother’s keeper”!