By Randy Ballinger
Do you wonder what Jesus looked like? Are you interested in his facial features? Artists and actors ranging from Leonardo da Vinci (The Last Supper) to Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) have attempted throughout history, to capture the countenances and expressions of Jesus Christ. Through the centuries, many have shown interest in the Shroud of Turin, the purported burial cloth of Jesus, because some claim it bears the image of his face.
We simply don’t know what Jesus looked like when he was on earth. He was here, after all, before it was possible to accurately capture someone’s image and before that image could be seen in real time anywhere on the planet.
So, since God sent Jesus “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4), we must conclude it is God’s will that we worship the person of Jesus instead of the image of Jesus. He wants us to prioritize a relationship with him instead of prizing a relic of him.
And so, while we don’t have an actual image of Jesus’ face, God’s Word reveals the accurate, though mental, picture of Jesus.
The prophet startled us with his description of the suffering servant by writing, “[T]here were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14), and also, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2).
The Gospels provide us with a stark picture of our Savior by revealing the length to which he would go to save us from our sins:
• a face with eyes resolutely fixed on the cross to fulfill his Father’s plan of salvation for all people even though the path to the cross included much suffering
• a face identified in the darkness by the betrayer’s kiss
• a face beaten and spat upon for sport by depraved and irreverent men
• a face dripping with blood from the crown of thorns that dug deep into his forehead
• a face whose mouth voiced compassion, forgiveness, anguish, and even triumph as he died on the cross
• a face revealed to hundreds following his resurrection
• a face glorified as he ascended to Heaven.
Gathering around his table, we can clearly see the face of Jesus.
Randy Ballinger lives with his wife, Gina Ann, near New Paris, Ohio. He is an elder with the Centerville (Indiana) Christian Church.
Perhaps it is well that we do not truly see his face for in that vision it would deepen our sorrow so much so that we may not be able to bear it.