It makes perfect sense to be your brother's keeper.......

 

     How do we support our brothers and sisters whether they walk with Christ or paths cross for some inexplicable reason but may not be “believers” as we have come to know and identify fellow Christians or “believers. “I have witnessed this bible study transform itself , in just a short time, from a study of the “word” to a supportive body in which Christ is manifest among us all as “brotherhood” as a Christ like spirit shines clearly through. It has been a pure joy to witness this transformation; To see the true melding of the written word with the living word manifest. 

My thoughts carried me upward and as I prayed and meditated upon these things and a parable of my own came to mind, although clearly not as eloquent as we read in the scriptures….I wondered why we are our brother’s keeper and why that, in and of itself, is a Christ - like endeavour. Simultaneously, I pondered the proverb,.. “To give dignity to a man is above all things.” And I came to understand that these were not independent of one another.

If we were a builder of homes and our work was indeed the work of a craftsman we would complete the home and sell it for a decent price. After we received our payment we rode past the house to find it in disarray with broken custom windows, doors hanging ajar, filthy with the beauty lost as if it may never had existed at all.. By contrast this same craftsman travelled to a second house of his creation to find it in pristine condition reflecting the joy of the family who lived within. The builder was pleased to witness the 2^nd home because his work had been appreciated and valued, which was a reward far beyond the payment which he had received. But the first home left him with a sadness which he could not express because his good works had been trodden under foot as if he had cast his pearls before swine, irrespective of the payment that he received.

We are all the magnificent creation of our Lord and as such we can disrespect his wonderful work or we can cherish it, be thankful for it and revere it. When we look at our brothers and sisters from any faith or walk of life we are witnessing a magnificent creation of God also. Hence to be “our brother’s keeper” is to show reverence to all that God has created no matter if we are disappointed appalled or gratified. Our reward is that we keep a commandment of Jesus and extended ourselves to our fellow man out of reverence for our Lord who is the creator of all things… He is the master builder. We may disappoint Him as we throw away the opportunities before us and treat with disregard the gifts that have been bestowed upon us or by contrast, please the Father by our good works, guided by his love and our reward will be everlasting life…

As we seek to raise up others, as we seek to extend to them dignity or extend to them the direction or pathway that they may be restored, we glorify, God almighty and show respect, appreciation for his creation as we are in fact and reality our brother’s keeper.

The master builder, God, has created all of us in his image. So he says…Love thy neighbour / brother as thyself …

It is evident in Genesis 1 that the Bible is content with simply asserting that man is somehow like God. Further elaboration is not provided. Why is this?

It is because the likeness of God is evident in the divine gifts that we receive at the time of our creation. They will be revealed to us at the perfect time…How wonderful, how brilliant, how beautiful that God has set up within us  “custom ,time release spirituality. This is why things will be revealed to us as a trickle, little by little throughout our lives, based on the judgement of the Lord….. In other words,  To say that humans are created in the image of God is,  to recognize the special qualities of human nature which allow God to be made manifest in humans, in substance and in part.

If we reject our brethren, rather than seek to raise them up, are we not also and at the same time rejecting that aspect of God as well  ?; rather than seeking to glorify God by showing reverence ,appreciation  and respect …?

The image of God, therefore, includes both who man is and what he does. Ontological capacities and functionality are inseparably tied because the human person as a created whole must be “the image of God.”

In addition -

Man is like a statue erected by an ancient king—as the statue bore the image of the king and signified ruler-ship, man bears God’s image in the cosmic temple of the world, representing his authority and dominion.

Man is the visible representation of the invisible God. If one wants to know what God looks like, simply look at man, the crowning jewel of creation and the only creature made in God’s image and likeness. What an honour ! To  be created in God’s image and being made in God’s image fundamentally entails living in relationship with God as well as others. Hence we necessarily need be our brother’s keeper…

Let us pray –

Help us O Lord to seek and find the way to salvation through you, with you and for you. Helps us to steadily mature with your grace so that we may discover and experience the full measure of your creation and of ourselves. Bless our bible study today , all of us here, all who struggle and all who suffer. Keep our minds sure and steady and help refine our hearts so that your light may shine through as an example, for all to see.

Help us find the physical and spiritual strength to rise above the trials and tribulations of our world today and Grant wisdom to those in powerful places so that they may take us forward in safety…

We ask these things in Jesus’ name….

Amen