Genesis 4:9 – Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Matthew 22:36-40 – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Through these passages, we find ourselves with somewhat paralleling and at the same time opposing thoughts near the beginning of each testament of the Bible. Cain asks God if he should have any responsibility for his own brother, yet Jesus says we should bear responsibility for everyone around us. The greatest difference between them is Cain speaks from a worldview while Jesus speaks from a heavenly one. We are expected to be good stewards of our world and everything in it, including its human occupants. Sometimes that involves stepping out of our comfort zone or getting down and dirty. The fact is that whomever we see, no matter their physical address or proximity to ours, can benefit from us. We have the power to bring blessings to all who surround us, whether that means helping someone load groceries into their car or stopping to check on the family stranded at the roadside with car trouble. The ways to show love are endless, and so many of them are little more than a smile or a “good morning” to a passerby. When we learn that sharing our joy multiplies it, it becomes easy to be our brother’s keeper and become a Mr. Rogers. Won’t you be my neighbor?
