Enemies…

Last night at alpha the question came up on our table. ‘It says in the bible love your enemies, but why should we have enemies in the first place?’

Well, i must say this really made me think, and i think it’s very true. It says in luke 6…

‘But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.’

So this would suggest that you would have enemies, but you should treat them as friends, or neighbours. Which then would surely mean that they would then not be your enemies, but friends.

Though, dictionary.com tells me that the definition for enemy is a person who is hostile or opposed to a person, group, or idea. or a hostile nation or people or something that harms or opposes something. Which would maybe suggest that it is not you that makes them an enemy? but them…

Which leads on to a verse from Matthew 5 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,’ The line ‘pray for those who persecute you intrigues me, because that seems to be pray for those who do bad to you so don’t be bad back kind of thing. But it still says in the same sentance which would lead you to think it is slightly different concept ‘Love your enemies.’ In the footnotes of this verse it says ‘Some late manuscripts enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you’ So does this mean that we don’t decide who are enemies are, but because they hate us or curse us does that make them our enemies?

So basically, i have got no further this is just a page of thoughts! I pressume there are wiser people than me out there! Discuss…