What did Jesus look like?

The Word for today:
Matthew 16:1-20

mark this: Matthew 16:13-14 --
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

What did Jesus look like?

We don't have any visual record as to what He looked like. But that will not deter your friendly Stand in the Rain blogmeister from indulging in a little scriptural conjecture...

Carpenter: Think construction worker, not cabinet-maker. A carpenter worked in wood with heavy hammers, and with the omnipresent building material in Israel--stone. And they weren't using power tools.

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52). There's a hint in these words that He was physically strong. "Favor" in the Bible is a word which, among other things, can describe the reaction to favorable looks.

The sacrificial lamb was to be the choice one of the flock, without blemish. This again is a Biblical "picture" of Christ that might apply to his physical appearance--and might not.

The title "Lion of Judah" (Rev. 5:5) might also hint at His bearing, perhaps even His demeanor.

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Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (Matthew 16:13-14)

This pivotal passage might hold more clues to His appearance and demeanor than any other, because the people of that day held the view that...

Elijah and John the Baptist were dramatic, forceful figures with kinetic presence. They were not the shy, retiring types.

On the other hand, Jeremiah was universally seen as the tender-hearted, nearly broken-hearted prophet.

That "some of the people say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah" may indicate that, even in appearance, Jesus combined seemingly contradictory traits. Think of a storm--a sad storm, powerful and sorrowful; a tossing wind gone sighing over the land…

Furthermore, John the Baptist was a Nazirite. The Nazirite, amongst other vows, avoided any razor. It may be that the traditional long-haired depiction of Jesus holds at least some scriptural basis.

Isaiah 52:14-53:2 contains what some see as a clue to his appearance, but it is difficult to discern whether or not the marred figure--with "no form or majesty that we should look at Him, no beauty that we should desire Him"--is being described on the day of His crucifixion.

This commentator’s wild surmisal is that, as the Word of God made flesh, Jesus looked like what the Bible is: to the proud, defiant sinner, the Word of God is stern judgment—and “looks like” the tempestuous, harrowing righteousness which characterized Elijah and John the Baptist.
To the repentant, the poor-in-spirit, the Word of God speaks forgiveness and a new start, in the compassionate tones of Jeremiah.
So, like the Bible, Jesus is just what each individual needs—and He may have actually looked the part from various perspectives.

If you think this sounds like total conjecture, think again. There is a well-known part of the Bible where sound became differentiated; it became what communicated to each individual’s need: at Pentecost, the apostles spoke and each man heard in his own language. (Acts 2:5-12)

If God could achieve this with the sense of sound, what stops Him from achieving this effect with the sense of sight?

Psalms declares that God "shows himself" differently to different people:
To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.
To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
You rescue those who are humble, but you humiliate the proud.(Psalms 18:25-27)

In a very real way, what Jesus looks like is up to you.

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