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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。祂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，并且求祂带领他们，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。

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.