To be your brothers keeper takes a lot, it means a lot. We are all commanded to love one another as Christ loved us. We call everyone brother or sister in church settings as a reminder that we are all Gods children and all called to be our brothers keeper. Being able to see God in all His children can help soften our approach to those who may be rougher around the edges.
Jesus gave us clear cut examples of this in His sheep and goats parable.
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Matthew 25:31-46
In Genesis 4:9 Cain denies knowledge of Abel's whereabouts and refuses responsibility by asking God "Am I my brothers keeper?"
But Jesus says "As ye have done it unto the lest of my bretheren ye have also done it unto me." So we are responsible for others in need or even helping out with a small thing before it snowballs into something huge.
To deny responsibility for our brothers and sisters is to have the same attitude as Cain when confronted by God for his murder of his brothers.
The people who fall into our lives do not do so by chance, they are there for a reason and you are there for a reason. So we would do well to make the most of the chances and opportunities we are given.
A certain rich man who Jesus gives no name to, like Cain, feels he owes nothing to his brothers and sisters. But a beggar named Lazarus petitions the rich man to no avail over the course of what seems to be a long time. One day they both die, Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man finds himself burning in Hell and looks up through the flames to Heaven and sees Lazarus in Abrahams bosom eing blessed by him in Heaven.
The rich man was punished for his iniquities while Lazarus was blessed for his life and hardships.
Find the scripture in Luke 16 here.
We are responsible for ourselves and how we treat or mistreat others. To those who are least valued in our society like beggars like Lazarus, Christ said that how we treat the least amongst us is also how we treat Him.
So hard as it might be being that we are all created in Gods image and the kingdom of God is within us all, we will see Christ in everyone if only we look deep enough.