The Jews believed the Roman Empire was their enemy; but they were not. And yet they kept looking to Jesus to deliver them from these ‘invaders’. It was no easy task to convince the Jews otherwise.

So then Jesus tried laying out a new approach on how to deal with these pre-conceived ‘enemies’; He taught them to ‘love them’.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…” (Matt. 5:43-44).

His words, not mine.

If you lived as Jew back then, under the Roman occupation, a Roman soldier could order you to carry their pack, which was heavy…up to one mile in distance…and you had to comply. To state the obvious…there was no shortage of seething anger and resentment directed at these oppressors during this time…and the Jews were desperate for a deliverer.

And when the ‘Deliverer’ arrived…do you remember what Jesus instructed the people to do the next time they were ‘compelled’ to carry that pack one mile? He told them to carry it two miles. (Matt. 5:41)

Paul would later instruct the believers in Rome to “bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.’ (Rom. 12:14). Do you think it’s possible that many professing ‘Christians’ today have forgotten that counsel? Seems we are always trying to demonize a new ‘enemy’ that raises up their heads, be it ‘liberals’ or ‘Democrats’ or ‘left-wing-fake-news-media’ …types… and the latest villain on the move out to destroy us are Muslims. But if they are indeed the ‘enemy’…then has God’s word changed? Are we to fear and demonize them now…or love them?

If they are your ‘neighbor’…does your Bible have an * next to that second of the two greatest commandments that denotes ‘unless they are Muslim’? (Matt. 22:39)

Paul goes on to write there in Rom. 12…”If your enemy is hungry, feed them; if he is thirsty, give him drink…do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good…” (20-21). And IF…they do you harm…we are told in vs. 19: “Do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place, or make room for God’s wrath…for it is written…vengeance is His and HE…will repay.”

Phil. 4:5 admonishes us to “Let your gentleness be evident to all”. My Bible has no footnotes denoting this only applies to people who look like me and believe like me.

Friends…do you see what has been happening in this country of ours, especially amongst those who claim to be in the ‘body of Christ? It would seem we are less a ‘United’ states…and more a ‘Divided’ states. But this should come as no surprise because Jesus Himself made it known that this would be the case as far as ‘signs of the end of the age’ were concerned (Matt. 24:3).

Jesus goes to lay out how there would be much deception in the land, even suggesting people would end up following other ‘Christs’ (Matt. 24:4-5), or as Paul would later phrase it …following ‘another Jesus’ (2 Cor. 11:3-4).

But look at verse 7, where He mentions how “nation will rise against nation…”. That word ‘nation’ come from the Greek word {ethnos}…which is where we get the word ‘ethnic’ from, as in ethnic groups. Apparently we still struggle to understand this lesson of what it means to ‘love thy neighbor’. And throughout history, there has been no shortage of people groups who have been villainized and made out to be the ‘enemy to be feared’ (or controlled, maybe enslaved?) …in order to unite other groups of people against them.

And just before Jesus shares that tidbit of info…He exhorts us to: “See that you are not troubled (alarmed, disturbed, agitated)…”(6). Can we all admit that there seems to be a lot of professing ‘believers’ today who are expressing much alarm and agitation and fear over certain ethnic groups who are living in this country…and I’m not talking about the ones who crossed over illegally either.

At what point do we want to revisit such passages in our beloved Bibles that remind us that our conflict is “NOT…with flesh and blood…but against principalities and powers and spiritual forces of darkness and evil...” (Eph. 6:12). Does Peter not specifically identify who our real ‘enemy’ is, in 1 Peter 5:8…calling out ‘the devil’? Paul reminds us that we are ‘not ignorant of his devices, or schemes’ either…in 2 Cor. 2:11.

1 John 5:19 tells us plainly who this whole world is under the control or influence of, and he mentions nothing pertaining to political groups or ethnic groups or religious groups. We read there that it is the ‘wicked one’ who has ‘power’ over this world. Eph. 2:2-3 expounds on how this ‘prince of the air’ operates…working ‘IN us” making use of the lusts of our fleshly desires and minds. And there is only one way in which you or I can be set free from this influence: We must respond to the gospel of Christ in order for our ‘eyes to be opened that we might turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan…to God’ (Acts 26:18).

To all my gun-loving friends out there who might be guilty of quoting the second amendment as frequently as any Bible verses you know, (and I honestly have no problem with people owning guns)…I have a question for you - Every time there is a mass shooting, especially in public schools, what’s the first public outcry you hear touted? “It’s time to reel in the guns and impose bans!”, or so you hear it that way. And the first argument you make, which I agree with is this: “It’s not the guns that are killing people…it’s the deranged and irresponsible person who took possession of the gun!” Did you read that part that I agree with you on this?

So why is it that we fail to apply that same ‘logic’ when it comes to our pre-conceived ideas as to who are ‘enemy’ is? The more we ‘hear about’…radical extremist committing atrocities throughout the world…’in the name of Allah’…we want to start imposing ‘bans on Muslims’. Is it really ‘Muslims’ who are out to ‘get us’, or maybe something ‘spiritual’ in nature …operating through some of them? You know…that same spirit who is working in anyone else that is not following Jesus?

Call me naïve if you want, but I’m telling you in Jesus’ name that your fear is misplaced. God alone…is to be feared (Matt. 10:28). And this we know: “Whoever is born of God does not sin…and the wicked one does not touch him.” (1 John 5:18).

Do you know why? Because “the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess. 3:3). And it is not your ‘neighbor’ who is out to get you.