“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
So responded Cain when God asked him about the whereabouts of his brother Abel.
Of course, the omniscient God knew what had happened and where Abel was. In fact, God responded to Cain by saying, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10).
Cain did not answer God’s question, although he knew the answer. He avoided owning reality by answering God’s question with an empty question of his own.
Through the years, people have used Cain’s response to God as their own excuse for not caring for others. When asked about someone, some will say, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
You may have heard that…or even said it. I hate to admit it, but I have.
What Is My Responsibility?
So, am I my brother’s—or sister’s—keeper?
My observation has been that most people fall into one of three categories in that regard.
Some get a little overly involved in others’ lives. They are what the Bible refers to as “busybodies.” We’ll address that in next week’s article.
Others are not involved at all. They live in their own little bubble and would rather not be involved with other people’s problems or needs.
Hopefully, this is a very small minority.
Still others have a circle of friends with whom they share life, some more closely than others. We may go weeks or months without being in touch, but eventually we catch up.
We genuinely care about each other, but sometimes life prevents us from being as proactive as we would like.
I think the answer to the brother’s keeper question can be found in the New Testament phrase “one another.”
One Alone Is Never One Another
The Greek word translated “one another,” or in some translations “each other,” occurs exactly 100 times in 94 verses.
Nearly half of those verses contain instructions about how Christians are to live in relationship with one another.
I hear people say sometimes, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.”
But you can’t “one another” by yourself.
You can’t “bear one another’s burdens” alone. You can’t “encourage one another” solo.
(For more on this, click here to read “Do I Have to Go to Church to Be a Christian?”)
But even apart from a church fellowship, we are surrounded every day by people who need our “one another” attention.
You never know what someone is facing, thinking, or feeling at any given moment.
All it takes is a little situational awareness of the people around us.
We can ask ourselves, “Who around me is struggling while I am busy criticizing or complaining about them?”
Or, “Whose burden am I making heavier instead of lighter?”
How Can I Be My Brother’s Keeper?
Let me end with four action steps you can take to become better at “one anothering.”
1. Pay attention.
Notice people. Watch for changes in behavior, such as withdrawal. Listen for unusual comments or words of discouragement. (Philippians 2:4)
2. Reach out.
Don’t wait for someone to come to you. Be proactive. Call. Text. Invite them to lunch or coffee. Take the initiative.
3. Build up.
Before criticizing, gossiping, or being negative about someone, find a way to speak encouraging words instead.
When my daughter was in elementary school, they were taught to pour into rather than dip out of someone’s “bucket of joy.”
I like that visual. (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 5:15)
4. Get involved.
Encouragement can only do so much. Sometimes we need to bear someone’s burden. Take a meal.
Make a visit.
Help solve a problem.
At other times, getting involved may mean helping that person find the appropriate help. (Galatians 6:2)
Am I my brother’s keeper?
According to the New Testament, the answer is yes.
I’m called to notice him, encourage him, build him up, and help carry his burden.
And so are you.
Today, ask God to show you at least one person who needs you to be a “one another” to them.