“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, "I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9, ESV)

Is there a more notorious question in all of the Bible? This question has become so ingrained in Christian culture that it is to some extent been stripped of its meaning. How often have you heard someone say, in jest, "am I my brother’s keeper?” There are other ways of saying the same thing differently: “He is his own man” or “it’s none of my business.”

The most disturbing element of Cain’s interaction with God is his apparent apathy towards Abel’s life, even before the murder. While the death itself is indeed a clue, his response to God indicates that this disregard for Abel existed long before Cain’s capital crime. It seems as though Abel was nothing more than a speed bump on his way to personal glory.

Take a moment to consider why Cain was so brash as to say “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, To God. The simple conclusion would be Cain desired not to be caught in sin. But, did Cain really think God would not know? The fundamental error in Cain’s actions was not his murder or lie to God, but it was his lack of love and concern for his brother, Abel and his parents Adam and Eve.

Don’t let this verse morph into a proof text allowing you to gossip about somebody else’s affairs. Don’t allow it to become only a cautionary tale about murder and lies. Let this passage remind you how far sin can take you when your love for other’s is not at the core of your decision making. (1 John 3:18)

Let your light shine!