“你们听见有话说：‘当爱你的邻舍，恨你的仇敌。’只是我告诉你们：要爱你们的仇敌，为那逼迫你们的祷告。” - 太 5:43-44

提到仇敌，我们往往会联想到战争：仇敌是那些住在别的国家和其他大洲的人。

然而耶稣的焦点却关注在我们附近的地方：整夜开喧闹派对的人、苦待人的叔叔、欺负你弟弟的小孩子。我们非常恼怒他们，我们很想有人纠正他们，甚至是惩罚他们！

可是，耶稣竟然告诉我们要爱他们！这并不一定表示我们对他们有好感。我爱我的女儿们，我喜欢和她们一起，但耶稣在这里所说的不是这个意思。衪用的这个爱字意味着行动；耶稣告诉我们，要以仁慈的行动来对待那些很难去爱的人。

耶稣甚至告诉我们，要为他们祷告。我们可以与神谈论他们，并且求衪带领他们，赐福给他们；我们可以承认我们的恐惧和怒气；我们可以求神让我们看到在他们里面的神的形像；我们可以求神帮助我们洞悉他们为什么会这样做事。

神并未要求我们与那些不尊重我们的人做朋友、或忍受他们的伤害。然而，当我们忠心为他们祷告时，神便会帮助我们以怜悯的心看待这些人，并且开始友善地对待他们，甚至学习以爱心和尊重来对他们说真诚的话。

（AM）

祷告

亲爱的耶稣，求你帮助我们去爱并为那些不可爱的邻舍祷告，乃至以同样的仁慈的方式对待那些态度恶劣的人。透过我们仁慈的说话和行动，惟愿他们能够看到你的爱。阿们。

马太福音 5:43-48

43“你们听见有话说：‘当爱你的邻舍，恨你的仇敌。’
44只是我告诉你们，要爱你们的仇敌，为那逼迫你们的祷告，
45这样就可以做你们天父的儿子，因为他叫日头照好人也照歹人，降雨给义人也给不义的人。
46你们若单爱那爱你们的人，有什么赏赐呢？就是税吏不也是这样行吗？
47你们若单请你弟兄的安，比人有什么长处呢？就是外邦人不也是这样行吗？
48所以你们要完全，像你们的天父完全一样。

Loving The Unloving

“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.” - Matthew 5:43-44

We often think of enemies in connection with war: enemies live in other countries and on other continents.

But Jesus is focusing much closer to home: the neighbor who throws loud all-night parties, the uncle who is abusive, the kid who bullies your little brother. We are angry with them. We would like to see them corrected, perhaps even punished!

And yet Jesus tells us to love them! That doesn’t necessarily mean feeling good about them. I love my daughters, and it is good to spend time with them. But that’s not what Jesus means here. The love word he uses suggests action; Jesus is telling us to act in a loving way toward people who are difficult to love.

Jesus even tells us to pray for them. We can talk with God about them and ask God to guide and bless them. We can confess our fears and our anger. We can ask God to show us the image of God in them. We can ask for insight into why they might act as they do.

God does not expect us to make friends with people who disrespect us, or to tolerate abuse from them. But as we faithfully pray for them, God will help us think compassionately about them, and begin to act kindly toward them, and even learn to speak truth to them with love and respect.

(AM)

Prayer

Dear Jesus, help us to love and pray for neighbors who are not loving, and who perhaps are even mean to us. May they see your love through our kind words and actions. Amen.