Was Jesus white? | GotQuestions.org

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Today's question is, was Jesus white? In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective.

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Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

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In much of Western art, Jesus is portrayed as having white skin and light hair.

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Is that what Jesus really looked like? If not, why is He so often portrayed that way? First, it is important to remember that the

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Bible nowhere gives a physical description of Jesus. The Bible does not say anything about Jesus' height, weight, skin color, hair color, or eye color.

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Such things are not important to understanding who Jesus is. The closest the

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Bible comes to describing what Jesus looked like is a non -detailed sketch of what Jesus was not like in Isaiah 53, verse 2.

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He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire

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Him. Essentially, Isaiah 53, verse 2 is saying that Jesus was ordinary looking.

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The description of the glorified Jesus having white hair and bronze skin in Revelation 1, verses 14 -15 should not be understood literally, unless you also believe

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Jesus had seven stars in His right hand, a sword in His mouth, and a face as bright as the sun,

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Revelation 1, verse 16. According to the Bible, Jesus was a Jew, aka a

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Hebrew or Israelite. Jesus lived in the Middle East and was of Semitic descent. As a result,

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He very likely would have had light to medium brown skin, brown eyes, and dark brown to black hair.

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While Middle Easterners occasionally have light skin comparable to that of Europeans, such skin tones are rare in that part of the world.

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Was Jesus white? The answer is that He was very likely not white. So, if Jesus likely was not white, why is

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He so often portrayed that way? If you examine artists' portrayals of Jesus from around the world, you'll find that they often portray

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Jesus in a way similar to what people look like in that particular culture. Europeans portray

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Jesus as a European. Africans paint Jesus as an African. Asians illustrate Jesus in a way that makes

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Him look Asian. People prefer to picture Jesus as looking somewhat like them, or at least like people they are familiar with.

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Is it wrong to do this? Not necessarily. As long as we do not allow our preferred image of Jesus to become an idol, there is nothing in the

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Bible that speaks against imagining Jesus looking a certain way. Jesus is the

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Savior for all nations, Matthew 28, verse 19, and Galatians 3, verse 8.

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No matter a person's skin color, race, ethnicity, or nationality, he or she can experience forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God through the crucified and risen

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Christ. The love of Jesus transcends skin color. Having no physical description of Jesus, people naturally imagine the

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Son of Man to be like themselves. So, we should not be dogmatic in our preferred image of Jesus.

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The fact that the Bible nowhere gives a physical description should serve as a caution against arrogance and presumption on this subject.

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What Jesus looked like does not really matter. His physical appearance has absolutely nothing to do with His being the

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Savior of the world. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org

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for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book I recommend, along with links to several related questions.

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