Should a Christian Have Unconditional Support for Israel?
Many Christians feel a deep love for Israel and for the Jewish people. I personally have had some wonderful visits to Israel, travelling round the country and meeting the people. I took this photograph at the Western Wall in Jerusalem before I went to pray by the wall. I wrote my prayer on a piece of paper and pushed it between the stones. My prayer was that Jewish people would come to know Jesus as their Messiah.
Our love for the people and land of Israel, shaped by the Old Testament story and by our allegiance to God, can sometimes lead us to idealise Israel—or to place more weight on the physical land than Jesus Himself did.
Two significant passages that highlight the importance of Israel are:
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1–3)
“Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved… for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:25–29)
Alongside these promises is the Old Testament history of Israel’s conquest of the land, often through violent judgment on other nations. Some Christians read this together with God’s covenant promises and conclude that the modern state of Israel must therefore be enacting God’s purposes today. From this perspective, even military campaigns—even those resulting in civilian deaths—can be seen as part of a divine plan moving history toward Christ’s return.
Looking Through the Lens of Jesus
However, when we read the Gospels, unconditional support for any state—even Israel—does not align with Jesus’ teaching. In Luke 9:51–56, His disciples suggested calling down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that had rejected them. This echoes the divine judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), but Jesus rebuked them, showing that His mission was not about destruction but about mercy and restoration.
In the same way, some Christians look back to Joshua’s conquest of Canaan and attempt to justify modern military actions in Gaza. But Jesus’ work was something far deeper and more transformative than conquest by force.
The Covenant with Israel in the Old Testament
God’s covenant with Israel was never a blanket endorsement of their behaviour. Israel was called to love and worship God wholeheartedly and, from that place, to be a light to the nations—a people shaped by justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8). When Israel turned away from this calling, God did not remain silent or overlook their failings.
Prophets such as Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea repeatedly rebuked Israel for false worship, oppression of the poor, and the pursuit of power. As Amos thundered:
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)
Even Jesus did not give Israel unconditional praise. He wept over Jerusalem, saying:
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace.” (Luke 19:42)
He warned of judgment—not upon Gentiles, but upon the religious elite and national leaders of Israel who “devour widows’ houses” and “neglect the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:14, 23).
Today, many Christians might dismiss the messages of Biblical prophets or even Jesus’ own critique as “not standing with Israel.” Yet Scripture shows that true allegiance to God often meant calling Israel back to His covenant rather than giving them unquestioned approval.
The New Testament Shift
The New Testament introduces a crucial shift in how we understand “Israel.” Paul writes:
“It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise.” (Romans 9:8)
Faith in Jesus, not ethnicity or national borders, now defines God’s people. In Him, God’s promises find their fulfillment:
Jesus embodies Israel’s story. Matthew applies Hosea’s prophecy (“Out of Egypt I called my son”) to Jesus (Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1), and John calls Him the true vine (John 15:1). He is the faithful Israel who succeeds where the nation failed.
The Church is redefined as God’s covenant community. Jew and Gentile alike are grafted together in Christ, forming one new people of God.
The temple is no longer a building. Jesus Himself is the temple (John 2:19–21), and His Spirit dwells within His people.
God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ and extended to all nations. What began in Abraham is now offered universally through Jesus.
This perspective encourages faithfulness, justice, and gospel witness rather than unconditional political support for a modern nation-state. Supporting the state of Israel is not the same as supporting biblical Israel, and confusing the two is a serious theological mistake.
Loving and Praying for Israel
To truly “stand with Israel” is not to give uncritical political support, but to stand with Jesus—praying for Israel’s salvation, seeking justice and mercy, and remembering that God’s promise to bless the nations is fulfilled in Him.
Thanks for the input on this to Hope Chapel Elders and several Bristol Pastor friends.