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My Obligations to My Brother
In a world of almost seven billion individuals and a nation of over 300 million, the Christian has an abundance of opportunities to affect the lives of those with whom he or she comes in contact. But does the Christian actually have an obligation to influence others, and if so, in what ways and to what extent?
Jesus addressed the issue of whether His followers had a duty to influence others, in a spiritual sense, in His Sermon on the Mount. We find these words in Matthew 5:13-15, “You are the salt of the earth….You are the light of the world. A city that is set a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house”. In what we term “The Great Commission” in Matthew 28:19-20, the Son of God further addressed our spiritual obligations to one another, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The Christian has within his grasp the most valuable commodity on earth—the pathway to Heaven. To not share this blessing with others is to fail in fulfilling the second greatest commandment spoken by Christ: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In fact, it was because someone shared that blessing with us that we obeyed the Gospel and became Christians. All of us hopefully want our friends and neighbors to be in Heaven with us, but we must realize that we are instrumental in making that happen through not only our conduct but also a willingness to share with them the “hope that is within us.” If our friends are standing next to us on Judgement Day and we never shared with them the story of Jesus, were we truly their friend while on earth? Did we care about them?
Fulfilling the spiritual needs of those around us has eternal consequences. However, our obligations to those around us do not necessarily begin with or are limited to spiritual matters. Instead, we also have a duty to meet the physical needs of others. If we neglect in fulfilling the physical needs of others, it is unlikely, at best, that they will be receptive to any teachings regarding Jesus or the Bible. In the same way that we want our friends and neighbors in Heaven, our overall love for mankind should drive us to also want the poor, lonely, addicted, and disadvantaged in Heaven. As Paul told the Corinthians, “Such were some of you.” Jesus paints for us a beautiful picture of whom we are actually ministering to when we help those in need, recorded in Matthew 25:35-40:
“For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
Jesus exemplified this requirement to fulfill the physical needs of those around Him. Recall how doors were opened for discussions of spiritual matters when He healed the lame and fed the hungry prior to teaching the people about their God. Empty stomachs and broken hearts need to be addressed first before we share the life-changing Gospel in the same way that Jesus often did when He was on earth.
What do I owe my brother? I owe him the same type of love and compassion that Jesus displayed to those around Him. In the spirit of the Good Samaritan, I need to help my fellow man when the opportunity arises and I have the means to help him. Above all, I owe him the knowledge of Christ’s love for him so that he too can be a recipient of God’s grace and have a home in Heaven forever.
