PICTURES OF JESUS
My favorite picture of Jesus is the one on my little Primary Sunday School card I found recently, with brown hair and beard, and such a kind face, holding the little lamb He had rescued over his shoulders. If you showed that picture to people, many would say, “That’s Jesus.”
Then there are the black-and-white drawings of the laughing Jesus passed around the internet recently—Jesus with a baby, and Jesus with young children gathered around. Just the thought of Jesus laughing, a big deep belly laugh, makes Him seems so real to me, so human. He was human—all man and all God.
About 20 years ago, the large church I was a part of put on an Easter program, complete with a cross that was lifted up on the stage with a man playing the part of Jesus tied on the cross. He hung there suspended as Jesus had been, but the marks and the blood were all fake. Very realistic, but fake. I told him, I don’t know how a man who is Polynesian from Hawaii and part native American can look so much like Jesus who was Jewish.
The most important part of every picture of Jesus is His eyes. Every artist has worked hard to capture the essence of Jesus Christ in His eyes, no matter what the rest of the picture looks like.
However the truth is we have no idea what Jesus really looks like except for the description in Revelation 1:13-15, “and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass.”
I just know that when I reach heaven, I will know without a doubt just Who Jesus is, when I see Him face to face. He’ll be the One looking at me with eyes of love and a smile on His face, saying, “Well done, Lavon, and welcome home.”
Lavon Hightower Lewis