What Jesus DIDN'T Look Like

Over the years, as I have studied the Bible with people in their own homes, I have seen so many pictures and statues of Jesus. I'm sure you've seen your fair share of them as well. And while there are some subtle differences here and there, Jesus is almost always depicted as being a white man with blue eyes, a thick goatee, and long, wavy brown hair.

But is this what Jesus looked like? In short, NO! But let's take a closer look.

First of all, Jesus wasn't a white man. He was a Jew from the middle-east. Like all other middle-eastern Jews from that part of the world, Jesus would have had a darker complexion. I'm not saying he was black, but I think we can almost definitely say that he wasn't a pale white man.

And Jesus didn't have long hair, folks. Sorry to burst your bubble. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:14, says, "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?" Would Paul have written such things had Jesus worn His hair long? No! If "nature" teaches that men are NOT to have long hair, then surely Jesus' hair was short. Moreover, history teaches us that the men of Jesus' day wore their hair short. Not only did they keep their hair short, but they generally did not have thick, grizzly beards either. It wasn't until the second century that beards became "fashionable" again.

Was Jesus some beautiful man with soft, pale skin? Not at all! Jesus was from the lower class and his father was a carpenter. In that day, the sons adopted their father's trade, which means that Jesus, too, would have been a carpenter. Poor carpenters are not going to have soft skin. Their skin is going to be rough and calloused, and probably dark from working long hours in the hot sun. And take it for what it's worth, but Isaiah 53:2 says regarding Jesus that "He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." I take this to mean that Jesus wouldn't have been a very attractive man physically.

So what did Jesus look like? Again, we don't really know. But I think we're safe in saying that the modern-day pictures and statues of Jesus are absolutely incorrect in their depiction of Him. He was your average middle-eastern man with short hair and perhaps a short beard.

Now you might be thinking, "Casey, why does it even matter?" Well, I think it matters for two reasons.

First, the Old Testament condemned the making of any image or object that has "any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath..." (Ex. 20:4). Now, I don't believe we're bound to the old law, but this same principle is taught throughout the New Testament. We're told to "flee from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14). The point is this: when we surround ourselves with images of Jesus and statues of Jesus, we are, I believe, engaging in a subtle form of idolatry. We're turning what ought to be spiritual into something physical; we're debasing the very concept of faith and morphing pure Christianity into something akin to pagan idol worship.

Why do we need statues of Jesus anyways? Especially when we KNOW the statues and pictures are incorrectly portraying the Lord! Is not the gospel of Christ good enough? Are we not content with Jesus as we see Him in scripture?

Second, this is an important discussion because how we view Jesus' physical appearance may affect how we view His character? So many people view Jesus as...as a wimp...as a skinny, pale, long-haired girly-man. Is it any coincidence that these same people often see Jesus as a laid-back, come-as-you-are kind of guy; as Savior but not Master, as ALL LOVE and NO JUDGEMENT? Sure, Jesus was and is a Savior of compassion and tenderness (Mt. 11:28-30), but He also overturned the tables of the moneychangers (Jn. 2) and condemned the scribes and Pharisees as "hypocrites" (Mt. 23). He spoke not only of heaven (Jn. 14:1-4) but of hell and eternal punishment (Mt. 10:28; 25:31-46). You can't live in sin and expect to be rewarded with heaven (Rom. 6:1; 1 Jn. 3:6). Homosexuals, drunkards, fornicators and the like will NOT inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-11). We have to stop viewing Jesus as some weakling. He is the Son of God. He is the King. He is Master and Lord of all!

What did Jesus look like? I don't know. But I do know what He DIDN'T look like.

We don't have to SEE to BELIEVE (Heb. 11:1). Our faith rests in the promises of God's word!