‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’

by Steve Schmidt, Darby

In the book of Genesis, the Lord confronts Cain about killing his brother Abel knowing full well what Cain has done. Cain replied, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Bible goes on to explain and Jesus teaches that, yes, we are directed to be our brother’s keeper.

There is a lot of rhetoric from the right these days that suggests falsely that our society has no responsibility for the well being of the needy, poor, elderly, and disenfranchised. Some Republicans are suggesting that Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security should just go away. The Trump administration even ended the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and as a result, it is estimated that more than 760,000 to 780,000 people in this world—the majority of whom were children—died during the first year following the cancellation of USAID.

Do Americans have a responsibility to care for people in our country and beyond? Well, what did Jesus say? Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, and then posed the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus’ profound answer to his own question was the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. The Parable of the Good Samaritan explains that true neighborly love transcends all political, social, cultural, and religious boundaries and calls us to show active and unconditional compassion to anyone in need. This is a big ask and a big challenge to be sure.

Even beyond Jesus’ teachings, Americans as well as anyone who calls Earth home are beholding to a broad social contract to care for each other.  That’s really the only way we can fairly and effectively share this planet. Therefore, when the question is raised, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, the answer is clearly, “Yes.”