The Gospel for LifeSample

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

Getting Our Toes Wet:

Most of us have probably seen the pictures of the melancholy Jesus with flowing blond hair, blue eyes, and a glowing complexion. This Jesus looks more like a romance novel cover model than the Almighty God! His effeminate hands and build hardly represent a man who was a carpenter, walked endless miles each day, and could survive 40 days in the wilderness without eating! Recently, in Popular Mechanics, a medical artist portrayed Jesus as a dark-haired, wild-eyed ruffian, who resembles a deranged serial killer more than a Savior. Over the past 2,000 years, Jesus has been physically portrayed in literature, art, and media more than anyone else in history. It seems people are fascinated with trying to figure out what Jesus looked like while He walked the earth.

Diving in Deep:

It’s no wonder that so many vastly different portrayals of Jesus exist. God has chosen to only give us a few verses on what the pre-resurrected Jesus’ physical appearance was. Isaiah tells us that there was nothing extraordinary about the way Jesus looked; nothing to make people want to follow Him. Isaiah is in no way implying that Jesus was ugly, just that He pretty much looked like everyone else around Him. Mark’s Gospel confirms this when Judas had to kiss Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in order to point out to the soldiers which man He was. But there is one other description of the physical Jesus. Again, it’s found in Isaiah. Isaiah describes Jesus after He had been flogged before His crucifixion. He says, “His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of the children of mankind.” Jesus was so bloodied and beaten, He barely resembled a person! And this would be followed up by being nailed to the cross. Why would God include such a gruesome picture of Jesus? To give us a picture of what Jesus endured to pay for your sins! That is how much He loves you!

Back on Dry Land:

We may find it a little frustrating to not know exactly what Jesus looked like while He walked the earth, but we need to focus on what’s important -  what Jesus has done for us as our Savior, and what He continues to do for us in our sanctification! And someday, we will know exactly what Jesus looks like when we see Him face to face!