On Sunday, before launching into a great teaching on Revelation 2, our pastor settled into a wee rant. On “the blond-haired, blue-eyed Malibu Jesus” represented too often in the images of our Bible Belt childhoods in America. I was taken aback by his passion, and then wondered if I had a blindspot in this area.

Does my own Scottish heritage make me comfortable with this view of Jesus? Being fair-skinned, with brownish-green eyes and brown-hair-turned gray, was my view biased?

Exiting the auditorium after an excellent sermon, I checked out our own stained-glass images of Christ. They seemed true enough to the Middle Eastern Jewish heritage of Jesus. Brown eyes, darker complexion, curly hair (albeit lighter than appropriate?). Stained glass windows have been a favorite art form for me. These did not disappoint, but are they adequate for all who are part of our church? Or offensive to some?

On the way home, I was still distracted by my pastor’s statement: How We View Jesus Matters. Wondering at my own lack of appreciation of how Jesus’ appearance might affect the rest of the world’s humanity.

Race and Appearance of Jesus

Something to think about.

Finally, it dawned on me what mattered more than our view of Jesus…His view of himself.

The Bible says very little about Jesus’ appearance. He sounded an average sort of man. Nothing that drew attention to him as far as physical characteristics. “Hidden in plain sight”.

How Does the Bible Describe Jesus Christ’s Appearance? – Daniel Isaiah Joseph

What Jesus said about himself – who he was and why he came – those statements (and view) are monumental (see image at top and article below).

What Did Jesus Mean When He Said “I AM”?

I will say that my favorite interpretation of his physical appearance, personality, and character is found in the TV show The Chosen. Gentle, loving, fearless, funny, serious, welcoming, truth-filled, good.

Lion and Lamb – throughout history, Jesus has been interpreted in art as both lion and lamb (as he is also described in the Scriptures.

“Recently, I saw an image of a lion and a lamb lying together in the clouds and was reminded of the cosmic truth of history that in Jesus Christ, God’s love and justice meet, His mercy and His authority come together.

J.R.R. Tolkein speaks of the incarnation of Christ as the “euchatastrophe* of Man’s history.” About the incarnation, and especially its climax in the resurrection, he says, “There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true.” The greatest fantasy is in fact history.” – The Lion and the Lamb – Darrow Miller

*Eucatastrophe: Tolkien’s Word for the “Anti-Doomsday” – Richard Fisher

My view of Jesus? The John Hunter poem below is a good starting place.

For This, I Have Jesus – Connectedness – A Brush with the Life of John Hunter – Deb Mills

Throughout His public ministry, Jesus made two explicit claims concerning Himself: He claimed to be the Messiah of Israel (the Christ), and He claimed to be God come in the flesh (Matthew 16:16; John 11:27; Mark 14:61). This two-fold claim is the essence of the message which Jesus challenged men to believe concerning Himself (John 20:31). – Hidden in Plain Sight, Doug Bookman

Our view of Jesus matters…especially as it relates to his view of himself, in relation to God the Father and to us.

Hidden in Plain Sight: What Did Jesus Say About Himself? – Doug Bookman

Jesus Wasn’t White: He Was a Brown-skinned, Middle Eastern Jew. Here’s Why That Matters – Robyn J. Whitaker

What Did Jesus Look Like? – Sarah Pruitt

Why Is the World Filled with Depictions of a White Jesus When the History Says Otherwise? – Richard Stockton [Read the Comments as well – fascinating opinions]