Do We Know What Jesus Looks Like? (It May Not Be What We Expect)

The Old Testament Book of Isaiah is sometimes referred to as the "fifth gospel". The traditional Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describe the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Similarly, the Prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus, but he did so 600 years before the Virgin Mary gave birth to him.

Isaiah 53:2-7 

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 

Understandably, we focus a lot of attention on the latter verses of this passage which describe Jesus' crucifixion and our salvation bought by it. Much of the foundation of our faith is summarized there. But, the first few verses describe some very important aspects of Jesus as well. Unlike the traditional Gospels, Isaiah included a brief physical description of Jesus within those first couple of verses. Here, Isaiah describes a Creator God that came to earth, not as a handsome and majestic man with whom people were in awe. Rather, it details a humble person without beauty nor majesty; One who has an undesirable appearance. How many of us would do choose this appearance for our Lord (or for ourselves) if we had that option? The challenge of reality seems to cause us to attempt a type of recreation of the Creator (see related post: Making God Fit). 

We get an idea of exactly how we desire to see Jesus merely by looking at the movie portrayals of him. Those images seem to reflect the misguided importance we place on physical appearance. Most of the actors portraying Jesus in these movies have physical attributes that are more acceptable to us: well proportioned, handsome, and without any significant physical flaws (separately, but just as relevant, why do we insist that Jesus was light-skinned? As a middle-eastern Jew, he was quite certainly dark complexioned). 

Clearly, we feel better when Jesus is portrayed a particular way. But, it is worth asking the question whether we would be as accepting of an uncomely Jesus. What if he was disfigured? Would we hide our faces from him? Maybe our response wouldn't be this apparent. But, is it any wonder that our misplaced emphasis on physical beauty costs us so much (personally, psychologically, monetarily, ethically, societally) when God himself shows us the way by placing the emphasis elsewhere? 

Big Feeling from Humility

Christ's disciples understand that his teachings were radically different than what the world values or believes.  But, sometimes those values are difficult to understand.  When he, the very Son of God, knelt to wash the filthy feet of his followers, Peter was aghast!  He thought: how could the King of Kings, the Messiah, the Son of God place himself in such a lowly position as to wash another person's dirty feet?  Jesus' response to Peter was very direct:  "unless I wash you, you have no part with me".  Jesus was teaching Peter a different way - a humble way which he commands us to follow.

When the two brothers, James and John, approached Jesus with a request to receive a special seat of honor next to Jesus, they were also rebuked.  Jesus responded in a manner that turned the world's values upside down when he said "whoever wants to be first must be slave of all".  Jesus was teaching them a different way - a humble way which he commands us to follow.  These examples are consistently in the forefront of Jesus' teachings and seen throughout the New Testament.  Even though the Son of Man himself "came not to be served, but to serve" and we are commanded "to do likewise", the world does not reward this humility.  The world does not revere the least, the last, the lowest.  But, we should absolutely take heart in that fact!

Like Peter, James and John, many Christians have difficulty embracing God's value system.  At best, we are sometimes fearful to live by these values because of our need to survive in the world (which this fear is caused by a lack of faith in the very Creator of the entire universe).  At our worst, we sometimes seek the rewards of the world for our own glory while placing those rewards ahead of One who created even our very breath.  There is a better way, Christian.

As a natural extension of following God's leading, Christians will most typically observe modesty and simplicity in their lifestyle, language, and mannerisms.  They will lean away from pretensions and feelings of superiority (or as the Amish say gross feelich or big feeling).  In a win at all cost, toot your own horn, dog eat dog, pat yourself on the back world, modesty has no natural place.  So, it certainly isn't easy.  Jesus said that we were "sheep among wolves" indicating that we are naturally exposed to certain vulnerabilities because of our beliefs.  I laughed (because I absolutely loved it) when I heard a baptist preacher say to his congregation: "if you feel like an alien in this world, I have great news for you...you are!".

But, the follower understands that living for the glory of God (and not ourselves) has greater rewards that are impossible to put into words - because those words would have to reflect an eternal and everlasting God.  Those words would have to reflect the amazingly endless acts of a Creator that are seen only by eyes that he has opened.  Those words would have to describe a love received that is absolutely and wonderfully boundless.  Those words would have to describe the One who has served to a degree that we can only aspire.