11/14 - What did Jesus look like?

Anyone who’s spent time looking at Christian art knows that Jesus has been depicted in a lot of very different ways. Last night, our class contributed to this diversity as I asked everyone to draw us a picture of Jesus. Almost all of them had some combination of the same iconic elements. We had a lot of long brown hair, many beards, several welcoming smiles, and a few white robes and open arms for good measure. Why are these elements so common? Jesus almost certainly had short, dark hair. His skin was likely a sun-darkened olive color, his tunic would not have gone down farther than his knees and while an itinerant preacher would have no reason to shave, a beard was by no means a cultural necessity in his time. Still, artists have slowly built up an imagined image of Jesus which we all recognize today.
The stereotypical Jesus painting has the beard of a philosopher, the robes of a prophet, the hair of a ruling Roman god, the fair features of a young demigod, and the pale skin and blue eyes of the Europeans who first painted him this way. While we can scoff at this historically inaccurate image, there’s a lot we can learn from it. Jesus is a moral teacher with prophetic wisdom; He reigns in Heaven as the Lord of creation though He has become human and walked among everyday people.

It was also fun to compare some of the unique features of each person’s drawings. Corban’s had a more historical robe and was the only one with a halo. Owen had drawn a blond Jesus preaching on a mountain and holding a rainbow, separating scenes of war and peace. Frank drew a smiling Jesus with wild hair that had to be my favorite of the night. Gabriella’s was ordered and comforting, while Carmen’s was tan and ready for action. Francesca’s drawing had dark skin, deep eyes, and looked better than she realized.

Thankfully, every single drawing we make falls short of showing us what Jesus is like. His Truth is far too big for that. And yet, pondering who He is to each of us is valuable. We meditated a little on Colossians 1:15-20 and Philippians 2:5-11. If you haven’t read these beautiful passages recently I encourage you to do so. They express Paul’s vision of who Christ is both as the Risen Lord and as the Word of God who has existed from the beginning. These claims blow past any notion of Christ as “just a great moral teacher” or “a wise role model.” He is these things, but as we come to know Him as Paul did we see that He is more.

In the coming months we hope to study the implications of this life-changing truth.