Who is My Neighbor and Enemy?

In Matthew 5:43-48 Yeshua says:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

1.1 Who is My Neighbor?

Many believers in Yeshua the Messiah emphasize the importance of loving God and loving our neighbor, and rightly so. Yeshua declared that these are the greatest commandments (Mark 12:28–34; see Deuteronomy 6:4–5 and Leviticus 19:18). One of the key aspects of this command is loving our neighbor as ourselves. Naturally, the question arises: “Who is my neighbor?”

The command to love one’s neighbor as oneself originates in Leviticus 19:18, which says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” In Yeshua’s time, many Jews would have understood “neighbor” to mean fellow Israelites. Rabbinical teachings of that period often defined a neighbor narrowly as someone who was an observant Jew, excluding tax collectors, Gentiles, and especially Samaritans. However, God’s definition of a neighbor is broader. Loving one’s neighbor goes beyond loving those who are like us or who can love us in return.

In Luke 10, a scribe, an expert in Jewish law, asks Yeshua what he must do to inherit eternal life. Yeshua turns the question back to the scribe (Luke 10:25–37). The scribe responds by quoting the command to love God with all one’s being and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Yeshua affirms this answer. Seeking to justify himself, the scribe then asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Often, like this first-century lawyer, we approach Scripture with the question, “Yeshua, what is the least I can do and still be considered a ‘good believer’?”

In response to the scribe’s question and attempt to narrow the definition of his neighbor, Yeshua tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. In this parable, a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both pass by without helping. These two men, who were supposed to be models of obedience to God’s law, fail to show compassion. However, a Samaritan, a person despised by the Jews due to cultural and religious differences, stops to help the injured man. He cares for his wounds and arranges for him to stay at an inn. This Samaritan, whom the Jews would have considered “unclean,” demonstrates true compassion for someone they would have viewed as an enemy. Yeshua then asks the scribe which of the three passersby was a neighbor to the injured man. The expert in the law answers, “The one who had mercy on him.” Yeshua replies, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).

Thus, our neighbor is anyone who comes into our path with whom we can share God’s love. We are called to love not only those who are like us or with whom we feel comfortable, but all whom God places in our way. Yeshua taught, “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:44–48). God shows love to all people (John 3:16–18; Romans 1:19–20; 2 Peter 3:9), and as His children (John 1:12), we are called to do the same.

It is crucial to understand what true love is. Loving others means genuinely seeking their best interests. It does not mean agreeing with everything they say or do, nor does it mean always acting in ways that gain their approval. Loving our neighbors means meeting their needs—both physical and spiritual. We love our neighbors when, like the Samaritan in Yeshua’s parable, we show compassion and help them in their time of need. The highest form of love we can offer is to share God’s truth with them. Only Yeshua can save (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), and He alone can meet their deepest needs.

We love our neighbors, even those who may seem like enemies, when we act toward them with a heart that first loves God. Our love for others flows out of God’s love for us, and in loving others, we also demonstrate our love for God (1 John 4:7–12; Colossians 4:5–6; 1 Peter 3:15–16).

In Summary 1. Loving our neighbor involves acknowledging the realities of a broken, sin-affected world and understanding how these impact others. As believers, we must recognize that our neighbors may have different experiences due to historical and ongoing issues like prejudice, racism, and inequality. We should also be aware that marginalized or oppressed individuals often face unique challenges with the socio-economic and justice systems, which may differ from our own experiences. 2. Loving our neighbor requires us to move beyond mere religious rituals and genuinely live out the gospel through practical acts of love. It’s not enough to profess faith or attend church; we must actively care for others. This means helping when someone is hurt, feeding the hungry, teaching self-sufficiency when needed, and advocating for justice when others are oppressed. Our faith must be demonstrated through actions of love and support for those around us. 3. Loving our neighbor means we must challenge and reject the prejudice that exists in our own hearts and in our society against our neighbor. In Yeshua’s day, there was open animosity between Jews and Samaritans. Samaritans were half-breeds and religious compromisers. Samaritans were “unclean,” and Jews were forbidden to eat with them or step foot in their homes. In fact, many Jews who travelled in Palestine purposely avoided traveling through Samaria. When we think about our helpless, poor, oppressed or minority neighbor, what immediately comes to mind? “They’re lazy.” “They lack personal responsibility.” “They’re just getting what they deserve.” Brothers and Sisters, Scripture tells us we need to challenge and reject this kind of thinking. To truly love our neighbor means we must believe the best about our neighbor and reject the stereotypes and generalizations that either we’ve been told or we believe about our neighbor. 4. Loving our neighbor requires us to sacrifice our time, money, and comfort to help the poor, helpless, and oppressed. True love means actively meeting their needs, not just offering empty words. As James 2:15-16 emphasizes, saying “Go in peace” without providing for someone’s physical needs is meaningless; believers are called to take real action to support those in need.

1.2 Who is My Enemy?

The key question is what Yeshua is truly conveying. When examining this passage in the original Greek, the word for “enemy” is “ekthros.” According to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, “ekthros” is simply defined as “hated” or “hateful.” However, in Liddell and Scott’s Classical Greek-English Lexicon, there are three distinct Greek terms for “hated.” The first is “ekthros,” but the second is “polemios,” which refers to someone actively at war with you. The third is “dusmenis,” describing someone who has long been estranged and refuses reconciliation. A closer look at “ekthros” reveals that it refers to someone who was once a “philos” (a loved one) but has since become alienated.

This is particularly intriguing when we consider examining this in the context of the Hebrew texts rather than the Greek. Why focus on the Hebrew texts? Without understanding the Hebrew (Jewish) socio-political, traditional, and cultural aspects, we miss the true and central messages of the Bible. A lack of knowledge of Hebrew and Jewish texts makes it difficult to fully comprehend certain portions of Scripture. Without this understanding, some passages may remain mysterious or be misinterpreted, especially the teachings of Yeshua and His dialogues with political and religious leaders like the Sadducees and Pharisees. It’s interesting to note that while most of the New Testament is written in Greek, the original communication of these ideas was, in fact, conveyed in Hebrew.

Consider the example of Matthew 5:21, which says, “Ye have heard that it was said of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.” However, in the Hebrew text, it reads that “whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the bet din (Sanhedrin).” In the next verse, Matthew 5:22, Yeshua states, “But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (Sanhedrin); and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca (in Aramaic), naval (in Hebrew), or fool (in English), shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool,’ shall be in danger of hell fire (the fires of Gehinnom).”

This is the first commandment in which a transgression is considered so severe that the violator is deemed worthy of eternal punishment. But what exactly is meant by “naval” (or “raca” or “fool”)? A simple reading of this passage in English, Greek, or Aramaic doesn’t make it clear. The reference to “naval” specifically suggests that this information was originally communicated in Hebrew, not Greek or Aramaic. The term “naval” refers to a “practical atheist,” someone who dogmatically denies God’s existence. In biblical literature, the statement “there is no God” is made by the “naval” (fool)—the morally corrupt person who, while acknowledging the existence of a Creator, denies that God is concerned with the actions of His creation. This concept is expressed in Psalms 14:1 and 53:1.

Firstly, the passage refers to the Sanhedrin, and in Judaism, there are three types of Sanhedrin. The first is the bet din, or small Sanhedrin, which consists of only three judges and serves as a congregational court. The second is the lesser Sanhedrin, composed of 23 judges. Finally, the great Sanhedrin is made up of 71 members. Each Sanhedrin is responsible for judging specific types of offenses, and the laws regarding the number of judges and the offenses each Sanhedrin oversees are outlined in the tractate Sanhedrin.

Now coming back to our original question, who is a Friend or an Enemy?

Let’s refer to the Mishnah Order Nezekin and Tractate Sanhedrin Chapter 3, Mishnah 5, which states that neither a friend nor an enemy is eligible to serve in a court of law. In this context, a “friend” refers to someone’s best man (the bride’s agent), while an “enemy” is someone who has not spoken to the individual due to enmity for three days. Essentially, in the Hebrew text, an enemy is someone who was once a friend but has become alienated and hasn’t communicated with the person for three days.

Now, let’s revisit the definitions. In the Old Testament, the most common Hebrew word for “enemy” is oyebh, which literally means “one who hates” and appears frequently in the Psalms. Occasionally, we also encounter the Hebrew word tsar, meaning “one who distresses me” or “one who places me in difficult situations.”

This makes sense – if we are aligned with God, His enemies become our enemies. And His enemies are those who reject the two greatest commandments, which are centered around love. Therefore, His enemies are those who do not love Him and His children. “The person who doesn’t love His children” can challenge and expand the way we define our enemies.

In New Testament Greek, the word echthros is typically translated as “enemy” or sometimes “adversary.” In this context, an enemy refers to those who resist God, disobey His commands, or ignore Him. Translating this idea into our own situation, when we are living and walking with God, our enemies are those who oppose us, contradict us, challenge us, or make life difficult for us. This means that the command to “love your enemy” applies not only to hostile individuals but also to rebellious children, ill-tempered spouses, or neighbors who complain about the smallest things like dandelions. While we may not refer to them as enemies, and they may not see themselves as such, they are examples of the type of people God calls us to extend grace to—those who may not be whole or aligned with Him.

1.3 Who are the Enemies of Saved Believers?

What is the greatest enemy of the saved believer? While there are many enemies we face—Satan, demonic forces, the temptations of the world, and sin—Scripture consistently teaches that our greatest and most dangerous enemy is not Satan or the demons, but our own flesh. Sin and the devil will always find allies in our hearts. Our greatest enemy is ourselves. From the moment we are saved until the day we die, our new spiritual nature will constantly be in conflict with our old sinful nature. Our hearts are like idol factories! We must recognize and take seriously this internal enemy, or it will ultimately overcome us.

Scripture divides the world into two types of people (Romans 8:5-13): those who “live by the flesh” and those who “live by the Spirit.” Being united with God through faith in Messiah means we are separated from our flesh and the idols that vie for our attention. The more we try to return to the flesh, the more it consumes us, leading to complete depravity and rebellion against God.

As God’s New Covenant people, born-again believers often underestimate the danger of sin in their lives, allowing it to linger rather than fighting against it as we are commanded. Instead of “laying aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1), we compromise and let certain sins remain, much like the Israelites allowed the Canaanites to stay among them. Our flesh tempts us to elevate good things to ultimate things, placing them on the same level as God (Romans 1:18-23). Rather than measuring our progress against others, we must compare ourselves to Messiah and His holiness. With holiness as our goal, accepting partial victory over sin is spiritual self-destruction. We must strive to conquer all sin.

Saved believers are engaged in spiritual warfare, but who are our enemies? Scripture teaches that we face three primary foes: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

1.3.1 The World

Scripture warns us not to love the world or the things in it. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not from the Father, but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but those who do the will of God will live forever (1 John 2:15-17).

1.3.2 The Flesh

The flesh refers to our old sinful nature, inherited from birth. The Bible tells us that Adam and Eve had children in their own likeness, which means they passed down a sinful nature to their descendants. “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth” (Genesis 5:3-4). This nature is sinful, and we continue to struggle with it throughout our lives.

1.3.3 The Devil

The devil is a personal being who actively works to lead believers away from Messiah. He is a real enemy that we all face. Scripture advises us to be alert and watchful, for the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Additionally, the Bible describes death as an enemy, though it is not the only one believers face. Death is described as the “last enemy” to be defeated. Paul affirms that Messiah will reign until all enemies are put under His feet, and the final enemy to be defeated is death (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). This should bring great comfort to believers, knowing that the One in whom they place their trust is Yeshua the Messiah. The author of Hebrews refers to Yeshua as our “archegos,” or the “supreme champion,” who leads His people to victory.

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