Cain asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen. 4:9). In a word, "Yes!" While "no man is the absolute keeper of his brother, so as to be responsible for his safety when he is not present," writes one commentator, "every man is his brother's keeper so far that he is not himself to lay the hand of violence on him, nor suffer another to do so if he can hinder it." A brother is one we love, not loathe. He is one we cherish, not chafe. He is one we protect, not provoke.
