When Are Enemies Are Our Friends

Remember. Ahhh, the very thought of the word. Remember this, remember that; remember when you were young? I do. And I remember both my friends and my foes. Strange thing is that some who I considered foes years later became friends, as did those who I thought were my friends. This is all fine and good, as well as quite normal, but what happens when we place Jesus into this equation? Such will be the scope of this post.

Certainly you are aware that Jesus had His share of enemies, but did you know that some of those who chose such positions didn’t really understand what they were doing? Consider Paul for example. Here we have a man that is passionate for following God even to the extent of quite literally eliminating the opposition.

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Acts 9:2
and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

While it is my own personal view that “take them as prisoners” is a nice way of saying, “kill them”, he received those letters and was off to rid the world of those pesky Christians in Damascus. The only reason he chose to do this was because of his zeal for doing what he thought was right.

Acts 22:3
Then Paul said: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

But then, something both strange and wonderful took place in Paul’s life.

Acts 9:4-5
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

Suddenly, Paul comes face to face with the fact that his pursuits had been misled for so long. However, instead of simply shutting his eyes to the truth he acknowledges his errors while immediately sending for new marching orders from God Himself instead of seeking the direction of man once again.

Acts 9:6
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

While some remained quite skeptical for a period of time, and rightly so considering the character of this man before his transformation; there is no escaping the fact that a conversion had indeed taken place. Such can be clearly seen years later when Paul was on trial before Agrippa.

Acts 26:28
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"

Acts 26:29
Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."

Therefore, next time when evaluating friend from foe, remember that all does not necessarily stay the same. Thru the power of Christ and His Word lives truly can be and are changed. Which is the very reason Jesus teaches us to …

Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…