Conflict, War and Jesus

I hate war, I'm tired of war, and I'm tired of Christians thinking war is ok and the way to go, and all that OT stuff that they use to justify war, is lame. I do not have the answers, and I'm not even saying war is ALWAYS wrong. But, firing missiles into neighborhoods where normal families live, is plain nuts. In the last few days, I've been really saddened by the conflict in the Middle East. I'm by no means an expert in this area, but it seems to me that Israel has gone a little (or a lot) overboard on how they have reacted.

Don't get me wrong...It's not cool to kidnap soldiers. And if you do, you will have to pay a price. But at the same time, Israel is close to starting the mother of all wars and that is not good for the global world. Trust me, if Iran and Syria do anything then it's going to cause America to do something. And that will cause the Europeans to do something, and yes that will not be a good thing.

I hate war, and I hate violence. I know the Bible says "blessed are the peacemakers," and "seek peace and pursue it." I know Jesus was subversive, and he preached a message of love and peace. When the Jews wanted to go to war and overthrow the Romans, Jesus responded by telling them to love their enemy, give their taxes and work hard unto the Lord.

Sure that is simple, and I KNOW I'm reducing a complicated subject into only a few biblical verses. But at the end of the day, I just think Jesus would be so saddened and heart-broken. I'm sure he would condemn those in leadership who abuse their power and I'm sure he would rebuke those who create mischief and desire evil.

And I'm also sure he would be with those who are wounded and hurting; those innocent folks who have lost loved one's, limbs and homes. Or families who are hoping their loved one's, who have been kidnapped, will return home safely and unharmed.

I have a strange feeling that Jesus would not stand by Israel or Hezbollah, instead he would be on the front lines loving and serving those who are impacted by the evil of those in power.

A few other bloggers are taking on this subject. Ryan has a nice string of comments going on his blog and Adam has some interesting thoughts on his blog.