What Does Jesus Look Like?

As Christians, we know that Jesus is a man, a Jewish man, who lived and walked in: Galilee, Judea, Samaria, Decapolis, Syria, Perea, and Egypt.  We know that he was born in Bethlehem and he grew up in Nazareth.  We know that he is a male and not a female.  He is from the area between Africa and Asia.  He is a Middle Eastern Jewish Man.  Knowing these things we should only assume that he looks like someone from the Middle East.  He is not Black.  He is not White.  He is not Hispanic. He is not Korean.  He is not Australian. He is not Nigerian.  He is not English. We can quit with all the "white vs black Jesus" drama because guess what!?  For certain, he was neither.

 

Something that we really need to understand is that no Scripture specifically tells us what He looked like.  We only have little hints in Isaiah.  The image of Him in Revelation is His Heavenly image, not His earthly one.  He tells us to worship in Spirit.  I believe this is because in Heaven your race will not matter.  Your belief in God, your loyalty, your faith is what matters.  If you worship God because you assume He is the same race, that is ethnic idolatry.  The point is, worship in Spirit and in Truth.  Jesus Christ tells us this.

What does the Bible say?

The Bible does not provide a good physical description of Jesus as he walked the earth. Isaiah says he is just an average looking person basically.  While some passages in Revelation describe a vision of Jesus in his glorified, heavenly state, these descriptions are not intended to portray his earthly appearance. Therefore, there's no biblical basis for specific details like hair color, skin tone, or eye color. 

 

Details from the Book of Revelation (Heavenly Image): 
  • Head and Hair: White like wool, as white as snow
  • Feet: Like burnished bronze, glowing in a furnace
  • Eyes: Like a flame of fire.
  • Face: Like the sun shining in its strength. 

 

What Can Be Inferred from Other Biblical Contexts:
  • Jewish Heritage: Jesus was a Jewish man, born in the region of Galilee, which suggests a Middle Eastern appearance. 
  • Common Appearance: Isaiah 53:2 describes the suffering servant (often interpreted as Jesus) as having "no stately bearing" or anything that would cause people to be attracted to him. This could imply an ordinary, non-distinctive appearance. 
  • Craftsman:As a carpenter, he would have likely been physically strong and fit. 
  • No Mention of Distinctive Features:The Gospels focus more on Jesus's actions, teachings, and divine mission than on his physical appearance. 
 

In Conclusion:

 

While the Bible offers a description of Jesus in a glorified state, it offers no specific physical description of him during his earthly life, except for the little information we get from Isaiah. Most depictions of Jesus in art are based on interpretations and artistic license, not on biblical accounts. 

Why I believe the Bible did not Focus on His Looks...

Well, first of all Jesus tells us to worship in Spirit.  Christians are not judged by flesh, but by Spirit.  This is just a guess, but the Bible may have avoided going into details about how Jesus looks because of exactly what is happening in the world now.  You have KKK members arguing that Jesus is a blonde-haired blue-eyed fair skinned man, and you have Black Hebrew Israelites claiming that he is dark-skinned with dread locks.  Have you ever seen the movie, "22 Jump Street"?  The building they work in is a Korean Christian church and inside is a statue of a "Korean" Jesus on the cross being crucified. This causes division and forces us to focus on worldly issues (racism and hate) and causes people to miss the whole point of Salvation in Jesus Christ. People make His race whatever their race is.

Jesus is not Santa Claus.  His race does not change based on the race that lives in your household.  He was a real living man that walked the Earth, suffered, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross for you and me.

Nowhere during his suffering was he persecuted for his race or skin color, so to relate the two really make no sense to an actual believer.  The only things we need to consider is what the Bible says. How Jesus looked and what his race was are not important for the deliverance of his message.

 

Always remember to worship in truth and Spirit.  Worshipping Christ because you believe He is the same race as you can be dangerous.  What if you assume He is a blonde haired white guy and when you meet Him, He is the opposite?  What if you think He is black with dreadlocks, but He is the opposite?  What if you think He is Korean, but when you meet Him, He is a Nazarene?  Would you still worship Him if He was that image you hate?  That image you fight against?

 

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.