Enemies, and those we really don’t like, occur on a common spectrum—from the one who seeks to violently take my life, to the one whose entire being irritates and tries my patience and charity to the extreme. And whereas the former is, fortunately, rarely encountered, the latter is virtually inescapable at some juncture in our lives. Matthew the Tax Collector falls somewhere between these two poles as he brings on himself the hate and disgust of his own people because of his cooperation with their Roman oppressors. But wherever an “enemy” is located on this spectrum, it usually has us relating to what is mostly a caricature and not the entire person. Thus, we find it extremely difficult to recognize what is good and positive in someone we consider an enemy or dislike intensely. But as Jesus illustrates so clearly in his choice of the despised Matthew, it by is recognizing and honoring what is good and redeemable in him—however obscured by its opposites—that Jesus is able to draw the good out of him and transform his life. Training ourselves to look beyond the flaws, weaknesses, and other sources of irritation of someone we dislike, enables us to catch a glimpse of the real person underneath. Doing so, can go a long way to diminishing our irritation and dislike, as well as assisting that person to become who they truly are. On this Independence Day and amid the polarities and dangerous tensions within our American society, we would do well to imitate Jesus and his life-transforming reaching out to Matthew who proved to be so much more than just a despised Tax Collector.