Was Jesus Ugly? Isaiah 53:2, 3b
May 7th, 2009 by John
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him…Like one from whom men hid their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53:2, 3b
Which depiction of Jesus above is closest to Isaiah’s description of Messiah?
How does that make you feel?
[pictures from 'google images' --head of Christ]
Popularity: 2% [?]
I remember reading somewhere about that first picture being a likely composite of Jewish men living in that area at that time, so a good representation of what Jesus could possibly have looked like.
Ever since then, when I picture him (and it is very hard not too, isn’t it) I imagine him looking like this, rather than these other Italianised versions. I understand why the painters painted him the way that they did, trying to show the beauty of his soul by the beauty of his face. And also I think at the time these paintings were done the common consensus of an ugly or average looking Jesus was maybe not a very popular one.
I imagine it’s probalby not a very popular one now, but oh, it’s really really compelling.
I’d have to go with first picture. Seeing Jesus in this way encourages me because it helps remind me that he was a man, like me. The other pictures still convey a sense of separation, as if Jesus was not quite 100% human.
I think it’s the ugly white guy at the bottom. I’ve seen him lurking around the Sunday Schools way back in the 50’s and 60’s.
P.S. He may have somewhat resembled the guy in picture one – but I’ll bet He didn’t have a “deer-in-the-headlights” look!
Wait. He wasn’t 6′3″, blue-eyed, blonde, with a British accent? I’m going to have to think about this.
number 1.
its’ weird, because america has said that jesus looked pretty.
number reminds me more of a paul. hehe!
John,
Wonderful post.
It is interesting to see the different pictures of Jesus.
I know from Isiah that he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him. So, I think he was one ugly looking Jew.
We are a mixed race church. We had to get rid if the pictures of Aryan Jesus. Kids pick up on everything. I would like picture 1 if the guy didn’t look really really stoned.
Sue (#1),
I had a Hebrew prof who said, based on Isa. 53, that Jesus might have been physically repulsive. People did not hang on his every facial expression, but they hung on his every word.
Fred (#2),
Good insight about making Jesus appear a little too other-than- us.
Ken (#3 and #4),
How dare you speak down on Sallmon’s ‘head of Christ’– “Jesus, the Breck Girl.” Deer in the headlights? Good one
BrianW (#5)
And there is no Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. Sorry.
danae #6,
I had the same thought–maybe Paul looked a little like that 1st pic.
Preacherman (#7),
My Hebrew prof in seminary thought so (and he wasn’t being anti-Semitic either).
willoh (#8),
I’ve seen depictions of Jesus as dark skinned. For us middle-class USAmerican anglos, it’s quite a shocker.