What did Jesus look like?

Most of us have some image in our heads of what Jesus Christ looked like, or might have looked like. If you grew up in a Christian household, there's a good chance you had a picture of Jesus hanging on your living room wall at home. There's many different variants of the picture of Jesus, but almost all of them have a few common traits. Jesus will most probably be caucasian, have a long beard; long, flowing, shiny hair that most Hollywood celebrities would kill for; flawless skin;, bright red/pink lips; ocean blue eyes with a sad and far-away look in them and, if his hands are up, shiny manicured nails too. Ooh, and his heart will be on fire. Yeah.

Now, nothing wrong with this picture. I think most people would like to believe that our supreme Lord and Saviour was flawless and perfect in every way, including his physical appearance. And the thought of Him being gentle and kind and meek and humble would also go with the gentle blue eyes, welcoming face, soft pink lips and soft, gentle hands. But the problem is, this picture goes against most things that the bible says about Jesus.

First of all, Jesus was a Jew, an Israelite. That means, Jesus was of Middle Eastern descent. He therefore most probably looked more like an Iraqi nomad than a Milan model. Of course, some people would curse at any proposed similarity between Jesus and Arabs, but if you know your history and geography, you'll know that Israelites and Arabs have lots in common, especially physical appearance. Also, common knowledge would say Jesus lived in a desert, or a semi-desert. And deserts are hot and windy and dry. You know what all that wind and all that whirling sand and all that exposure to the sun will do to your hair and skin? Split ends, dry hair, tough leathery skin, sun-spots etc. And the lips, the dry, chapped lips; Labello would have a very hard time protecting them. One could argue that He used primitive shampoos and conditioners and other chemical treatments, but, if they did exist in his time, they were probably way too expensive for Him to afford. Add that Jesus walked everywhere he went, and you'll have a better idea. And finally, Jesus was a carpenter. That means he worked with wood, hammers, nails, glue, fire, saws, axes and a host of other woodworking tools (ask Julius Malema for the complete list). So his hands were most probably tough as hippo hide, and bigger than most men's. And cracked nails too. Yup, definitely cracked nails. Not the prettiest picture then. I can't explain the heart on fire though, no thoughts on that.

The thing is, most of the pictures that we see of Jesus were originally painted by Italian and other European artists, the likes of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. And, being Italian, they based their illustrations on the Italian men around them. Also, these were mostly painted centuries after His death. So the illustrations are heavily misguided, and were made to appeal to the generation at the time. If you can look at His circumstances, and the times he grew up in, and the experiences he went through, you will most definitely have a different picture of the man that Jesus was.

Now, you're probably thinking "Whats the point of all this?" and truth be told, there is no final point, I'm not out to prove anything. Because at the end of the day, it doesnt matter one bit what you think Jesus looked like. Whether he was white, black, Chinese, fat, thin, tall, short, long hair, bald, toothless, wore pink robes etc... it doesn't matter! As long as you believe in His death and resurrection, and you have complete faith in Him, and He is your #1, that is all that matters. What I'm trying to say here is, most Christians have a completely distorted view of who Jesus was, what His character was, how He saw the world, how He saw other human beings. Over the centuries, His person has become twisted and contorted beyond recognition. This is just to open your eyes to any misconception you might have. His physical appearance is just the tip of the farce iceberg. In the near future, we shall explore in more detail the other, deeper side, personality, character, thought process, what ticked him off etc.

Till then, I rest,
Mzwandile