(I plan on doing a series of posts on this subject. This is something that has God has been brewing inside of my heart and soul for some time. I need some help processing it. I would love your input as I write through this.)
So, you know how the story goes.
Two brothers.
Abel’s offering was acceptable to God,
Cain’s wasn’t.
Cain gets angry and
kills his brother.
And then we see the following exchange:
Genesis 4:9
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Am I my brother’s keeper? I believe that to be one of the central questions that mankind has been asking ever since. Do I have a responsibility to care for those beyond me? Beyond my own family? Beyond my own kind? Beyond my own country? Beyond those that I can see?
We see the same question come up again from a man in an encounter with Jesus in which he was reminded to Love his neighbor as himself.
Luke 10:29
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
There it is again. Who is my neighbor? Who am I responsible for?
I believe the Bible spends a great deal of time dealing with that very question. Jesus seems to give us an answer in the parable of the Good Samaritan immediately in Luke 10 as well as the story of the Sheep and the Goats.
Matthew 25:40
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
I guess this is the question that I’ve been wrestling with in new ways, not just looking for theoretical answers but practical answers.
Am I my brother’s keeper?
Who is my neighbor?
What does it look like for me to be my brother’s keeper? What does it look like for me to love my neighbor as I love myself?
I invite you to wrestle with me.
I would love your input and insight. Any helpful resources would be appreciated as well.
