Pictures of Jesus?

This was one the things I was first concerned about when I got saved. I believe we don't have the original autographs of any scriptures, the Ark of Noah, the Ark of the Covenant, as well as a likeness of Jesus (the Shroud of Turin?) because they could lead to idolatry.

I believe John saw Jesus on the Isle of Patmos.

Revelation 1
12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;

 

In the small church where I serve as assistant pastor, hanging behind the pulpit is a picture of "Jesus". The church has a similar picture downstairs in the fellowship hall. My preference would be to take these down. First, whatever Jesus looked like, he did not look like that! That picture is of an Italian in the 16th century! Secondly, I attended an Easter play performed by a nearby church last Easter. This church happens to be a black church. It set me back at first to see Jesus, the apostles, and other Biblical characters portrayed by black people. Then I realized that there was no choice for these people--they are black! I also realized that when my church puts on a play, we are white, not what Jesus was. So for plays, you use what you have and I have no problem wiht that. But to put up a picture that hangs permanently for years behind the pulpit and to call it "Jesus" when it is not him, is an inaccuracy that should not be propagated.

 

Noted originally by Abiyah:

Abiyah

Back during the Christmas holiday season, the History Channel ran a series on the "Historical Jesus." One segment of that show was about what Jesus actually looked like and they came up with a graphical representation. To do this, they took a number of skulls of Jewish men from the 1st century, morphed them into a composite, rendered a model and has a forensic artist add details to make a representation of a face. Not sure that it makes any difference, but the face was far different than that traditionally portrayed.

BTW, I don't worry about images of Jesus that some folks have in their homes. I don't have any, but lots of people use that as a reminder or Him, and that is OK by me. It is also OK by me if they choose not to do so.

Jeff.

 

Isaiah writes, "He hath no form nor comeliness: and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not."--Isaiah 53: 2-3

The truth is--there is absolutely no beauty---nothing whatsoever about His appearance that we should want to have anything to do with Him.

If it were possible for Kodak or Poliarod to capture a picture of the real physical Jesus--and they started sellin' those things---we would have nothing to do with buying one and hanging it on the wall of our Sunday School classes. A real picture of Jesus captured on film would be rejected--"You can't hang that thing on our wall! Get that picture off of this wall right now!" And don't sit there and tell me that that is an ugly thought--that if the picture was real that you wouldn't think such a thing---His physical features are features of rejection--we'd throw them out!

I can't go quotin' anybody--but I once heard a commentator speaking on this particular verse--and the comment was about Jesus' physical beauty---keep in mind, NOT His Glory---not what the disciples saw on the Holy Mount--but His physical beauty like what He had while on earth---that physical beauty wasn't so much of a suave, handsome, pretty, attractive, young, unblemished speciman of a man--as it was of a snarled, twisted, rugged, unappearing features along the lines of the charactor--"Hunchback of Notre Dame"

OOOOOHHHHH, but listen! Isn't Jesus wonderful!?? Isn't He glorious? Aren't you glad that a man of no comeliness can reach down---heaven invading earth---eternity invading time---and save you from your wretchedness and sin?? Aren't you glad??

Your Southern Baptist preachin' friend,
Blackbird

 

I certainly am glad, brother Blackbird.