Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’
‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’
(Genesis 4:9)
The story of Cain and Abel – one of the earliest stories in the Bible: Cain, out of jealousy, strikes his brother dead. When the Lord asks him for an account of Abel, he makes the famous retort, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ The Lord’s reply, “Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground”, makes it clear, ‘Yes, you jolly well are!’
This story reminds us of our responsibility. As members of the Body of Christ we are called to look out for and care for each other. We must live together in relationship, under the headship of Christ, and offer Christ’s love to those around us.
It’s so easy to think of ourselves, to think of our faith, to think of our Christian discipleship, purely in terms of “what’s in it for me?” It’s a private faith. Even when we sincerely ask ourselves, “How can I deepen my relationship with God?”, so easily we think in personal terms. And that leads us to the inevitable question: What will I get out of out? How will God bless me?
Well, praise God, He does grant us the privilege of coming closer to Him. He does bestow His blessing upon us. But that can never be the end of the story. We are part of the Body of Christ – the family of God’s people. Should we be serving God simple so that we may get that “feel good” factor of being close to God?
Am I my brother’s keeper? What does God say about that?
It’s an enormous privilege, to be counted as a child of God. But with privilege goes responsibility. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus preparing his disciples for the work they will ultimately be doing. Indeed, his final command to them was to “go”. To go and make disciples, to go and preach the Good News, to go and heal the sick, to go and offer God’s love to those they met.
Am I. my brother’s keeper? Yes, says Jesus. Yes, you are. Look outwards – look outwards with love and compassion – look outwards with Christ’s eyes, to see the world as He sees it. Look outwards with determination to serve other people in the name of Christ – to brings to them the words of eternal life; to offer God’s love in word and in deed. Maybe we’re not all called to be up front evangelists, but we are all called to be evangelistic in our attitude: to live as God’s people, working together as part of the family, sharing God’s love in the small, practical activities of everyday life, and when appropriate, to speak up for God..
Being my brother’s keeper is a way of life, not just an activity that we take part in on specific occasions.
How do we love our neighbour? How do we care for our brother or sister? How do we share faith, share friendship, share love, share Christ. We do well to consider these questions.
Let’s pray that we be our brother, and our sister’s keeper, at all times.
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