Christians are not condemned for taking part in military operations because it is justified with the argument of defence. However, taking sides in a war and conflict situation might not be morally right as Christians are to be prophets of reconciliation and peace. A vision of the king of peace presented by prophet Isaiah goes thus: He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughers and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore (Is 2:4). This has been materialised in Jesus the King of Peace when he advised his followers: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Mt 5:9) and I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Mt. 5: 44)

However, whenever there is a conflict occurs between Israel and Palestine in the recent social media era, Christians are found to be disproportionately taking sides. The war has affected not only the people of Israel and Palestine in a terrible way, but also has become an instrument to divide people into poles across the globe. This has to be termed only quite unusual as these people would never comment, nor take sides when other nations enter into war and conflict. A cursory search in the internet would fetch us at least 35 countries that are currently at war of similar internal unrest. None is interested in those clashes!

The baseline for these transactions, especially in the social media, is that it can harvest a lot of political gains especially favouring the right-wing ideologies which are often related to mainstream religious patriotism of which the Zionists are an example. Social media has become an arena for pushing more and more such ideas in the wake of India’s impending national election.

Some Christians have been found enthusiastically justifying the Zionists, posting Bible quotes alluding to the divine sovereignty of the Israel. Some other less critical and pious people have come up with prayers for Israel which in turn becomes a political support for the Zionists. Such people are only overenthusiastic about Bible or Christian theology without knowing what is meant by God’s will about a “chosen nation” as revealed in the Bible.

Although some aspects of the political Israel’s history is described in the Bible, we must understand that the purpose of the Bible is not to shield or justify the political history of the nation of Israel. Justifying military actions of the present Israel as divine intervention with support of some biblical texts taken out of context is not only untenable to the biblical hermeneutics, but also is against the spirit of God’s divine revelation.

Bible has to be understood as the complete divine revelation for the whole of creation rather than reading it as a historical text to prove something today. The ancient history of the Middle East is rich with civilisational developments as much as its history of conflicts between warring tribes and little kingdoms for power over land and resources. While Bible presents a quasi historical narrative starting from Abraham to Mosses and from Judges to Kings, the intention is not at all political. Bible is the sum total of the revelations about how God intervenes in the history of humanity. Bible is not a monograph written by a single author but a library of books of various genres. Although flashes of history is present in Bible, narrating history is not its prerogative. As it presents a religious history than a political history, it does not deserve a historical reading.

The idea of “God’s chosen people” shall be seen as God’s way of shaping a moral community contrary to the barbarian and inhuman practices of the then society such as killings, sexual violence, and all sorts of injustices. "You are a holy people" shall be seen both as a Divine plan as well as human yearning for spiritual and moral refinement. The Israelites under the leadership of Moses strove to be a unique nation as blameless as a sheep, and surpasses the ethics and morality of any other nations surrounding them. Obviously they developed a theology that the God they worship is holy and most powerful. However, as the Israel developed into a military and royal power, we read in the Old Testament, they yielded to all sorts of corruption. The culmination of that is the social and economic exploitation of the poor, widows and orphans as mentioned by prophet Amos.

We must also be aware that the growth of Israel as a military and royal power was a perversion of the Divine will. The whole idea of deliverance from Egyptian slavery to the journey to the promised land shows that God does not want the humans subjugated to slavery, exploitation and inhuman treatment. God becomes a warrior for the oppressed is the critical moment in the Biblical history. This is precisely what Moses hopes when the Israelites were trapped between the seas and the Pharaoh’s army. He says: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex. 14:14). The Israelites then attributed the title of “warrior” to God after this saving victory (Ex. 15:3). Two things are to be noted here, 1) God fights against injustice than to claim a royal victory; 2) God’s battles involve human and natural situations rather than relying on human military power. The Biblical God rarely commands to kill other humans! Had people like Joshua or later kings of Israel entered into a bloody war and racial cleansing it is merely the lust of the leaders for political power and they attributed the credits to their God. The Biblical story also demonstrates that God also chooses not to fight for the Israel, and hates their human atrocities. Keeping up with God's demand to be holy was a great challenge and stress for the people of Israel.

The military aspirations of the Israelites as well as its claim of God’s chosen people finds its fulfilment only in the story of Christ, especially for the Christians. What emerges in Christ is rather an unexpected revelation about the consciousness of God as well as the idea of Israel not as a political nation, but as a spiritual reality.

A comparison made by the American bishop Robert Barron is remarkable here. Jesus’s cry on the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” goes beyond the inscription “The King of Jews” stuck above his head. The battling God turns to be a forsaking God and the “king” has a shameful death on cross. What a beautiful contrast is it! It is Joshua who begins the battles of Israel. Joshua is Yashua alias Jesus. What a beautiful comparison is that! In Jesus, there is no more wars, no more geographical sense of nationhood, no more kingship. The chosen people are no longer an ethnic or nationalist group. All humanity is saved in Jesus. Humanity is now a single nation that is to be a holy nation. Its path is love, peace and mercy.

It will be a grave mistake for Christians who are justifying current political Israel as a continuation of the biblical Israel. God does not want wars started by political leaders, occupying forces, etc. Shouting "Glory to God" after killing and robbing the innocents is not what God desires. It is pure blasphemy. The story of the cross is that God reconciles the enmity between God and man, between men. All we see and hear in the news about wars are all human rights abuses. What the wars leave in the end are only human tears, misery and pain on both sides.

It is precarious for the pastoral leadership of the church in India to make political statements, however, they are duty bound to provide correct perspectives about the injustices and futility of war as well as guid their people not to abuse both bible and history.