Does this image of Jesus (#1) bother you? Is there any reason why it should? Perhaps it provokes something in me, or I wouldn’t be asking. Is there anything wrong with this picture of Jesus?
Would we prefer a Jesus in his late 40s or early 50s? If you have adult children, as I do, maybe you can relate to my sentiment that it’s hard to imagine following someone in their late 20s or early 30s. Do you ever find yourself listening to a preacher quite a bit younger than you, and you can’t get past the thought, “What does he know? He hasn’t even been around the block yet.â€
I wonder how many older people followed Jesus in his day. The preferred age for membership in the Sanhedrin was 40 (#2); I wonder if the difference in ages played any part in the Sanhedrin’s inability to accept Christ. I wonder how old Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea (#3) were. I wonder how we Baby Boomers would respond to a modern 30-year-old Jesus.
Setting age aside, what’s wrong with this picture of Jesus? Is it his clothes? Is it the leather jacket? Would we prefer a Jesus in an expensive business suit? Have you seen the dapper duds Joel Osteen wears? No wonder he’s the pastor of America’s largest church. (#4) Surely a 21st-century Jesus would dress for success.
Well, maybe a business suit is going too far. But wouldn’t Jesus prefer a polo shirt and Dockers to leather and Levis? Can you see Jesus in a T-shirt and jeans? I suppose the clothes we wear reflect our economic level and the neighborhood we come from. Would Jesus dress like a suburbanite? Or would he have the appearance of someone from a low-income neighborhood in a backwoods town? (#5) Would he look more like a blue-collar tradesman than a young urban professional? (#6) Actually, Jesus mocked those who wore nice clothes. (#7) He said clothes just don’t matter. (#8) Then why are we talking about them?
Okay, let’s forget the clothes. Is anything else wrong with what Jesus is wearing? How about those shades? You’re going to have to help me on this one, because I don’t own a pair of sunglasses myself. Are those expensive sunglasses? Are they designer’s? I looked at sunglasses on eBay and found hundreds of stylish selections for $10 or less, so Jesus’ glasses aren’t necessarily expensive. But would Jesus wear sunglasses at all? Would Jesus shop on eBay?
Of course, that earring has got to go. Right? Surely Jesus wouldn’t wear an earring! I remember when only women wore earrings and necklaces. Well, actually, thinking back, I guess I don’t remember those days. When I was a kid in the 1960s, some guys were already sporting studs in their ears, and lots of guys wore medallions. Among young Christians, one of the fads back then was for guys to wear wooden cross necklaces. As a matter of fact, my fellow blogger Rog Heggy, who today is one of the most respected attorneys in this city, was well-known back then for the huge wooden cross he wore.
We do know for certain that Jesus would exemplify the teachings of Scripture, which say:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Pet. 3:3-4)
Very few Christians interpret that passage as forbidding braided hair, or jewelry, or nice clothes. Most would agree that the point is that what’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside. Well, if that’s what the Bible teaches, then maybe there’s nothing wrong with this picture of Jesus at all.
You have to admit, Jesus looks pretty cool in this picture. But would Jesus even want to look cool? Would Jesus prefer to look flashy? Nerdy? Yuppy? Or just very plain? Would Jesus want to look more like you, or like me, or like the guy who painted the picture?
Maybe Jesus would ask, “Does any of this even matter?†Hmmm. Good question. Maybe it doesn’t.
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Footnotes:
(1) This image is © John O’Keefe at www.ginkworld.net.
(2) Age of Sanhedrin members: Aish.com.
(3) John 19:38-40: “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”
(4) Lakewood Church of Houston, America’s largest church.
(5) John 1:46: “Nathanael said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’”
(6) Mark 6:3 “‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at Him.”
(7) Luke 7:25: “[Jesus talking] But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!” Luke 20:46: “[Jesus talking] Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.”
(8) Matt 6:25: “[Jesus talking] For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
