Many images and representations have come and gone and many people have tried their best to describe Jesus Christ in word or art, and most of us, even though our sincerity is there, usually fail.
Why? Why is it so hard to draw, paint or describe our beloved Saviour? The main reason, at least in my humble opinion, is that we have a perverted ideal of strength and power given to us through media and that through the world. We see the John Waynes, Supermen and all the countless athletes traipsing throughout history with their testosterone, dominance and muscles and that is what we see as strength and power. Is this how the Bible describes strength and power? Is this how Jesus was described, the most powerful man in the universe? Even the Pentecostal movement describes Jesus in a most unscriptural way. Most Christians do. Most Christians want their hero, to be strong, powerful and full of confidence and power. They would rather see Jesus with a long sword dripping in the blood of their enemies and not a meek and lowly Shepherd ostracized, alienated and misunderstood.
Why? Our ideal of strength is misplaced. Our template of a hero is perverted. Would you rather have Jesus Christ coming to your rescue with a lamb on His shoulders and a shepherd’s crook in His hand, or would you rather have Superman rush in with all the ferociousness and power of a jet plane to save you? Point made. The humble thing just doesn’t do it for us. We want power, beauty and speed. We want good looks and sophistication, success and confidence. The Holy Word of God paints a much different picture of Jesus in Isaiah 53. 2,3. Let’s see what it says.
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no *form nor *comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no *beauty that we should *desire him.
3 He is *despised and *rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
*form- an outline to draw our eye to Him
*comeliness- pride or magnificence
*beauty- appearance of beauty
*desire- delight in, covet
v3.
*despised- found to be vile, contemptible, disesteemed.
*rejected- unwanted, destitute, without place to stay
Well, not exactly what we would pick for our hero, is it? Is this the Jesus you see? Is this the Jesus you have embraced? If not, then there’s a problem. In order to have a proper relationship with Jesus Christ, you must see Him the way He truly is. You must have a healthy picture of Him in your head. He wasn’t the man who walked around in purple garments, with rings on every finger, with so much money that one couldn’t count it all. He wasn’t a tall, dark and handsome man who demanded the attention of those around Him through His stature and good looks. He demanded attention through His words and works. He was different for a reason. He didn’t fit the mold of a king, saviour and hero. He was lowly, meek and humble. He wasn’t someone you desired to look at. He was plain and ordinary. But His words…HIS WORDS changed the course of History and sent the enemy into a tailspin of panic and ever since Satan has been working overtime trying to squelch the effects of Jesus and His words on society.
If Jesus Christ, I dare say walked past you today, you wouldn’t look at Him twice. Well, maybe you would, but in a bad sense… Maybe the next time you see a “simple” man walking down the street with nothing more than a backpack and the shoes on his feet, maybe realize that that could have been Jesus Himself walking by.
