My Brother's Keeper

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:1-7 ESV).

 

We all know the story of Cain and Abel. Our reading today introduces the initial conflict between the two first-siblings. Later when God questions Cain about the whereabouts of his brother, who he has already murdered, he answers, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (v. 9). It is a telling exchange that all too often finds its way into our experience. We see some of the same attitude in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (cf. Luke 15:21-32). The older brother was jealous and angry at the forgiveness shown to the younger by their father. People (not just siblings) can get in the way of our love for God. This is not because of what they do. It wasn’t Abel’s fault that God preferred his sacrifice, and it wasn’t the prodigal son’s fault that his father wanted to throw a lavish party when he returned. The older brothers refused to love their “neighbors,” who in this case was their younger brothers, because they disagreed with God’s love for them.

 

To walk with God, we need neighbors, whether they are family members or other believers in Christ, even if the only way to connect with them is by phone or Internet. Some neighbors may also be unknown to us, like a good Samaritan who helps a man attacked by robbers.

 

There are also some neighbors who can be a constant thorn in your side. Perhaps it the person who cannot be quiet about how good he is to the poor; or maybe there’s a friend who keeps reminding you of your sin against him, even though he accepted your apology. It may even be as simple as the person next door who doesn’t seem to have near the desire to keep their yard as meticulously as you do, and, yet, it seems to flourish. Walking with God can be difficult because we sometimes don’t like his goodness to others, or we don’t like our neighbor’s behavior. The good news is that we don’t have to like our neighbors. All we have to do is love them, as God loved us for no good reason. Lent is a good time to remember that truth!