My Brother’s Keeper:
Lessons we can learn about being our “brother’s keeper” through out Genesis and Matthew:
| Cain & Abel (Genesis 4) | Joseph & Leah’s Sons (Genesis 37) | Benjamin & Leah’s Sons (Genesis 42-45) | Jews (Pharisees) & Jesus (Matthew 23, 26-28) | The Final Judgement & Commission (Matthew 25:31-46 & 28:16-20) |
| The Lord did not look favorably on Cain and his offering | Jacob (Israel) did not look favorably on Leah’s sons, and esteemed Joseph son of Rachel above them. | Jacob (Israel) still favored the son of Rachel, Benjamin, over all the sons of Leah. (Genesis 42:36-38) | God does not look favorably on the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus warns them of their thinking that could cost them their soul. (Matthew 23) | The Son of Man will divide the sheep from the goats. Those on his left are cast out. (Matthew 25:32,41) |
| Cain became angry. | They became jealous and angry. | They felt guilt and conviction. (Genesis 42:21-22) | They became angry. (Matthew 21:45-46) | They complain they never saw the Lord hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, imprisoned, etc. (Matthew 25:44) |
| Sin crouched at the door of Cain’s heart | The 10 sons conspired against Joseph. | Reuben offers up his two sons lives to Jacob if they do not bring Benjamin back. Judah pledges an oath for his safety, for him to bear the blame forever. (Genesis 42:37; Genesis 43: 8-9) | They plotted together against Jesus to arrest and kill him. Judas sought to betray him. (Matthew 26:3-4; 16) | They did not show love and kindness to the lowly and least. (Matthew 25:45) |
| Cain kills Abel. | They threw Joseph into a pit. | Judah offers himself instead of Benjamin for the sake of his father Jacob. (Genesis 44:32-34) | Jesus is arrested, tortured, mocked, crucified, (Matthew 26-27) | They are sent to eternal punishment. (Matthew 25:46) |
| The Lord askes, “Where is Abel your brother?” | Reuben says “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” Joseph is sold into slavery. | Joseph reveals himself. (Genesis 45:4) | Jesus has died and is buried. (Matthew 27) | All authority on heaven and on earth is given to Jesus. (Matthew 28:18) |
| Cain replies “am I my brother’s keeper?” | They lie to Jacob (Israel) and tell him Joseph has been devoured. | They told Jacob (Israel) that Joseph was alive and ruler. (Genesis 45:25-26) | They made the tomb secured with a stone and guards. (Matthew 27:62-66) | His sheep are to gather, baptize, and teach all nations. (Matthew 28:19) |
| Cain is ostracized. | A severe famine over all the earth. (Genesis 41:57) | The great nation of Israel grew out of this dysfunctional family saved by Joseph in Egypt. | Jesus rose from the dead. (Matthew 28) | Jesus will be with us always. (Matthew 28:20) |
Interesting connections:
- In Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus answered a question on what the greatest commandment is: to love God and to love your neighbor.
- God gave Jacob’s sons a second chance to learn what it meant to love one another unconditionally.
- The sons of Leah learned that despite their unfavorable circumstances of not being loved by their own father, the Lord taught them through their trials how to love one another boldly.
- The Lord from the beginning, established a nation that was founded on forgiveness and loving one another.
- Judah’s pledge in Genesis 43:9 “let me bear the blame forever” if Benjamin is not returned. Jesus comes from the line of Judah, it is Jesus who bears the blame of sin of all mankind forever.
- The names Judas and Jude is the same name as Judah’s, it’s the Greek language translated into English that made it look different in the New Testament, but those names are all the same.
- Eventually, no matter how many chances we are given, mankind fails to love one another like the Lord wants us to. Judah/Judas betrays his own brother, so that Immanuel, son of Judah and son of God can redeem all nations from the famine of sin and death.
מגן השביל 