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When this infamous line of dialogue from the pages of Scripture is used today, most often the speaker assumes that the answer is, “Of course not.” This has become a commonly used expression to mean, “He’s not my responsibility.” And because this saying is a biblical reference there is a presumed authoritative stamp on it. In actuality, this question comes from the lips of the first murderer in answer to God’s question concerning the whereabouts of his brother. Cain is claiming ignorance and innocence in the matter of his missing brother, Abel, whom he had killed in a fit of jealousy. Cain is claiming that he was not responsible for something for which he was, in fact, both responsible and culpable. How ironic that we should use Cain’s excuse as our own!
This succinctly raises the great social question of our day, or of any day. What is the extent of our responsibility toward our fellow man? A religious leader put it to Jesus this way, “Who is my neighbor?” In the context it is clear that he is asking, “Whom am I required by God’s Law to treat (love) as a neighbor?” It was a lawyer’s attempt to limit his responsibility. I can identify with the feeling! There are so many people and so many needs that one feels inadequate, incompetent, and overwhelmed. It is easier to simply avoid the obligation to help our neighbor and not think about it, hoping it goes away. Getting involved in people’s lives can be messy and drawing boundaries of involvement can be impossible to do with any certainty. Consequently, we have a tendency to make elaborate justifications and excuses. We speak of the impossibility of meeting all the needs --- we talk about what we can’t do instead of what we can do. We speak of needy peoples’ unworthiness to receive our help --- they are not helping themselves; they made bad decisions; they will waste the help. We express concern about a cultural mindset of entitlement and the danger of creating dependence. We sometimes hide behind our government’s responsibility to help the needy. These excuses sound reasonable because they contain a measure of truth. So how does Jesus answer the religious leader’s question about the identity of his neighbor? He tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. The gist of the story is that decent upstanding citizens ignore a person in real need (undoubtedly with excellent reasons!) while a more disreputable person interrupts his own journey and at his own expense helps the hurting stranger. The point is clear: it is not about who we are responsible for, it is about who we are. The sorts of people who reflect the character of God are people who are generous and loving toward those who are in need. So the important question is not, “Who is my neighbor? What is the limit of my responsibility?” The important question is, “What sort of neighbor are you?” According to Jesus, how we treat people in need is a window to our character. Are we our brother’s keeper? Yes! |
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by Rev. J. Patrick Curtis, Senior Pastor |
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