Who is my enemy?

      Last Friday, my son and I drove to Columbia to see a baseball game between our Gamecocks versus the 2nd ranked team in the country, the Vanderbilt Commodores.  It was a big game, that’s why we drove up.  The atmosphere was electric with the home team having a definite advantage.  As I watched the game unfold, I really wanted to view Vandy as ‘the enemy’.  The problem was I could not do it.  And that is even with them being coached by a former Clemson Tiger assistant.  They were too good of a team to ‘hate on them’ as the kids say.  They played the game of baseball the right way.  They fouled off pitches.  They took the extra base.  They played some amazing defense.  And their pitchers were hard throwing and accurate.  As a baseball fanatic, I had to respect them. 

            

        After the game, my son and I went to talk to one of the student trainers so we lingered around as the players greeted their family and friends.  I saw several student athletes from Vandy come over and embrace the USC players and their families.  It occurred to me that even the athletes competing didn’t even view each other as enemies.

            

       So who are our enemies? Seriously, I am wondering.  Sports teams aren’t really enemies, at least not the kind of enemies that are referred to in the Bible.  Who are our tried and true ‘enemies’?  In the Gospel of Matthew we find Jesus’ teaching on the Mount when he says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  but I say to you, love your enemies and prayer for those who harass you...(5:43-44, CEB)”  So is it people who harass us who are our enemies?  Is it people who abuse us?  Is it people who work in opposition to the things that I hold dear?  Maybe, but then again maybe not.

       

     I find it even more interesting that in Luke’s Gospel Jesus is asked, by what I would consider a very intelligent individual, “Who’s my neighbor?” in response to a command to love.  Who’s my neighbor?  Who should I love? How about anybody who has breath?  How about anybody else who is created in the image of God?  But the bigger question is why do we get a parable defining neighbor, but no one even raises the question about who this ‘enemy’ is that we are to love?

           

      I’m sure we have people who we look at as ‘enemies’.  Maybe the folks that plant bombs to maim and hurt innocent individuals are our ‘enemies’.  I’m pretty sure that the members of the Westboro Baptist Church (although I hesitate to call them a church) would fall into a list of ‘enemies’, at least in my mind.  I would even throw a couple of television and radio personalities on my list of ‘enemies’.  And I’ll be honest, I don’t want to love them in the least bit. And in reality, I will probably never really interact with any of them in a significant way.  So what does all this talk about ‘enemy’ really mean? 

            

      My hunch is this, and I’m still working on it a little bit, but deep down inside, we paint anyone who opposes us as enemies.  This means, anybody who threatens me and the way I like my life.  So really what we are being warned against when it comes to how we treat our enemies is selfishness.  We were created to exist in community.  And we will not always like the people who are in our community.  But the Gospel truth is whether we call them ‘neighbor’ or ‘enemy’, God’s call is to love.  In this day and time, this is a lesson we should all learn to embrace.