Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” Genesis 4:8–12
Cain’s question has become one of the best-known of the Bible. As short as it is (just three words in Hebrew), it is filled with contempt. The word translated “keeper” means to watch, guard, or have the charge of something. When God created Cain’s father and placed him in Eden, He told him to dress and “keep” (same word) the garden (Genesis 2:15). Cain, who himself became a tiller of the ground (4:2), saw the crops of his field more worthy of his care than his own brother. Sadly there are many today––perhaps even in the church––who have adopted Cain’s contemptuous attitude, even when the Scriptures implore us to put our brethren before ourselves (Philippians 2:1–8; Hebrews 13:1).
To answer Cain’s question, we must first know who our brother is. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). There is a sense then in which my brother is one who shares the faith. There is another sense, however, in which all men are my brethren. When Ananias approached Saul, he addressed him as “brother Saul” (Acts 22:13). In this sense Paul considered all Jews his brethren, even when they were defiantly rejecting God’s will (Romans 9:3; 10:1–4). Whom should we regard as brethren? The evolutionist regards the ape as his brother. The Nazi claimed brotherhood only with men of his narrow race. The Christian recognizes that every man is his brother who is made in God’s image.
Should I be my brother’s keeper? The world’s answer is no. Satan obviously convinced Cain of this. He also convinced Joseph’s brothers (Genesis 37), as well as the older brother of the prodigal (Luke 15). He teaches us to say, “That’s his problem, not mine.” To the contrary, the Lord says that our love and concern for one another would be proof to the world of our discipleship (John 13:35). To a church marked with strife and contention, Paul wrote that brethren ought to resemble parts of a single body which not only function together, but also share in one another’s pain. The truth is that God has always desired peace among His children, and one of the things He hates is the one who would “sow discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:19).
The Bible gives examples of great men and women who “kept” their brethren. Judah was the brother who suggested selling Joseph into slavery, but he was also the one who later offered himself as a slave in the place of Benjamin (Genesis 44:33–34). Paul loved his brethren so deeply that he was willing to stand up to them (Galatians 2:11–18; 4:15–16), and he praised saints like Aquila and Priscilla who were diligent keepers of their brethren (Romans 16:1–5). One of the principle roles of shepherds is to watch for the souls of their brethren, for which they will give an account (Hebrews 13:17). Jesus also saw it His duty to be a keeper of His brethren (John 17:12). If He did, shouldn’t we?
What is involved in keeping my brother? If I want to be his keeper, I must first learn to love him as I love myself (Matthew 22:39). I must teach him the truth out of love (Acts 18:26). I must try to restore him when he goes astray (Galatians 4:15–16; 6:1). I must offer to share his burden (Galatians 6:2). And I must do good to him whenever I can (Galatians 6:10), especially in his hour of need (James 1:27). Does your brother know that you love him? Are you committed to being his keeper?