"Am I My Brother's Keeper?" (Genesis 4:9)

Perhaps I'm a little slow on the uptake, and somehow I've missed this idea my whole life. I'm not sure. But I was struck by this question this week and began to look at it quite differently. You may recognize this question from the mouth of Cain, as he is confronted by God regarding the whereabouts of his brother Abel, whom Cain had just murdered (Genesis 4).

For my whole life I've read this passage with distress. First, I have always wondered what was wrong with Cain's sacrifice? Second... even though Cain is clearly trying to deflect blame and distance himself from Abel's disappearance (as if God doesn't already know exactly what happened), doesn't he have a point in his question? Since when was Cain responsible for Abel's whereabouts?

If you are tracking with my line of thinking here, then perhaps we have illustrated the importance of this question, without even realizing it.

Briefly, the issue with Cain's sacrifice is found in verse 3 as Cain "brought some of the fruits of the soil..." (emphasis mine). Compared with Abel who "also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock." It's not that God prefers meat to veggies (But hey...).

Rather, Abel is sacrificing the first, best and future of his work, humbly and completely trusting in God's provision for him. Cain, is "sacrificing" what he can afford, and what he is willing to part with.

While this may be helpful to others who have struggled with the question as I have, it is the second point that I want to focus on in this post. This question "Am I my brother's keeper?" For anyone who's wondering, the Hebrew word for "keeper" is: שָׁמַר (shâmar). Strong's defines this as:

A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: - beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).

This question... says something profound about our broken world and our (especially in modern Western culture) individualism and self-interest. Essentially, Cain is trying to shift the focus off of himself here, by implying that he is not responsible for the well-being and/or whereabouts of his brother Abel. I mean, God couldn't possibly mean for us to care for others too, could he?

This came to my attention as I was watching Joe Boyd (Rebel Storytellers - http://rebelstorytellers.com/) give his account of the story of Genesis. Boyd states that for him, this question "Am I my brother's keeper?" is perhaps, the most important question in Scripture. Boyd points out that everything that happens in the Biblical narrative, from that point on, hinges on this one question.

I was struck speechless by his point. (Rendering me speechless is neither common, nor easy... ask my wife or my office mates!) Consider our modern, Western approach to life. We are taught to mind our own business, look our for number one, and make sure we get what is fair, or what we are owed. Everyone else, can worry about themselves. In Cain's response, we see the self-interest that defines so much of what our broken world seems to hold dear.

Maybe, like me, you've missed this line as you've read the Genesis account of the first murder. You've seen the pride, the jealousy and the self-justification that are so evident in this story, and you've missed Cain's attempt to shirk responsibility as if God doesn't already know exactly what has transpired.

The simple fact that when we read this question, we understand it... that it doesn't phase us because well... we sort-of get Cain's point... well, that itself is a sad comment on the broken state of the human heart, even at the very beginning of human history. I mean, we are one chapter away form the fall.. and yet here we see a symptom of this brokenness, which fully expresses itself in our modern Western society and values, fully evident and mature moments after sin has entered the world.

We get it. I mean, even though we know what Cain has done is horrible, terrifying, and completely evil... we also see his point. I mean, he's not his brother's keeper... is he?

Friends... I think we are forced to conclude, as we read the rest of Scripture... as we look at what God created and intended... and ultimately if we look at how God dealt with the problem of sin and brokenness, we are forced to answer this question in a shocking way.

Yes!

Yes, if God is who He says He is, and if Scripture is the true and inspired Word of God, then we are our brother's keeper. That is the point!

I know... yeah... but... hold on... wait... that's not fair!...

I get it... I did that too. But as I've been rolling this around in my head this week, I'm convinced... I'm sold... This question, and the answer to it, are fundamental. There is no getting around it. The answer is, and always has been YES. We are our brother's keeper (so to speak).

As Christians, we know we are completely and perfectly loved, forgiven and justified. If God loves us and cares for us fully and completely, then out of that love we have no need to think of ourselves or our needs. God has them well in hand. As such, we are free. We are free to care for our fellow human being. Jesus, God in the flesh, emptied himself and became one of us, led a perfect life, and died. Jesus was his brother's keeper.

Rising from the dead, Jesus conquered sin and death and lives today sitting at the right hand of God, still taking his role seriously as his brother's keeper.

Being created in the image of God, I don't think we can overstate the point that in response to Jesus' love for us, we will find the fullest expression of our faith, by being our brother's keeper too, in whatever that might look like for us today.

So, this Christmas, and onward... I'll never see this story from Genesis the same way again. I will always seek to remind myself that how I live out my life and my love for those around me always comes back to my response to that (truly) age old question: "Am I my brother's keeper?"

I don't always like to give too much "so what?" in my posts... sometimes I feel it robs one of the realization of the implications of an idea for their life. On the other hand, simply leaving things "hanging" can often lead to zero action. For me, this question has caused me to reflect on my life and ministry in profound ways and will likely shape much of how I move forward.

So, let me ask... Are you your brother's keeper? If so, what does that mean? I'd love to hear from you!