Am I my brother’s keeper?
This is a statement which was made by Cain, when God confronted him about the whereabouts of his brother Abel. Did God already know what had taken place between Cain and Abel before He asked such a question? Well of course He did, since God knows everything that happens, whether in public or private. So then, why ask a question that you already have the answer to?
God confronted Cain to see if he would admit the heinous crime he committed against his brother, and even more importantly confess this secret sin to His Creator.
In our lives today are we looking out for our brothers and sisters, are we our “brother’s keeper”, especially those within the Christian faith? When we become aware of a fellow believer in need do we step up to see how we can be of assistance to them? Even when the individual in need is not a member of the people of God can we witness for Christ as we provide help for them. I hope and pray our answer to each of these questions is yes!
Jesus was the perfect image of one who looked out for others (brothers and sisters) who were in need. Jesus did not just limit His help to the physical or material concerns of people, but He was also looking out for the whole person, body, mind, and most importantly spirit. Jesus came into this world to seek and save the lost and to minister to those who were sick and not the healthy ones. If Jesus was willing to come down from His rightful place in heaven to give His all, His very life, to help the sin sick individuals of this world, whom we are all a part of, should we not also desire to faithfully follow the example of the Master?
The Apostle John conveys some very important information to us which he received from the Lord. “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brothers righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that He (Jesus) laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth”. 1 John 3:11-18
Thank you, Jesus, for teaching us what it truly means to be our brother/sister’s keeper! Pastor McCarty