General Discussion We're All Made in God's Image

William D'Andrea

William D'Andrea

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In the Bible, there are very few descriptions of anyone's physical appearance. I don't know if any description of Jesus is in any of the Gospels. However, I think there are more paintings of Jesus, than anyone else, and they all look very much the same.
The Bible says that we're all made in the image of God. So, if we want to know what God looks like, should we all look in a mirror?
 
The Bible teaches that God’s true appearance is beyond human understanding or description, emphasizing that God is spirit and not confined to a physical form like humans. Verses such as John 4:24 declare, “God is spirit,” while Exodus 33:20 warns, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Therefore, direct visions of God’s full glory are impossible for people in this life.
Certain passages use vivid, symbolic imagery to convey God’s majesty and character rather than providing a literal depiction. For instance, Ezekiel 1:26–28 describes a vision of God as a radiant figure on a throne, resembling glowing metal and fire surrounded by brilliance and a rainbow. Revelation 1:14–16 describes the risen Christ in dramatic terms: “His head and hair were white like wool... his eyes were like blazing fire... his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters”.

God is described as invisible, eternal, infinite, and unchangeable (1 Timothy 1:17, Psalm 147:5, James 1:17).

Visions and descriptions in scripture use metaphor and symbolism to express divine qualities—wisdom, purity, insight, holiness, strength—not a physical outline.

Of course, the clearest revelation of God’s nature is found in Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:15 calls Jesus “the image of the invisible God,” and John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” making divine attributes visible in human form. Jesus himself taught, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

As scripture was careful not to dwell on Jesus' physical appearance, I don't think much about it.

What I think a great deal about is God's perfect justice and perfect love, especially as it relates to me and mine. These aspects are less visual and more meaningful. I don't need to see God's face with my eyes to appreciate His beauty with my mind, spirit, and heart.
 
If it is correct to say that that Isaiah 53:2 depicts Messiah Jesus’ appearance before he was crucified, then there was nothing captivating about his form. Aside from miracles performed that attested to his credibility, it had to have been his demeanor, expression, remarkable empathy, and astounding power to reveal the heart, wisdom, and character of the Father that moved the masses and frightened his opposition. But the glorified Jesus, He will be something else to behold. Every knee shall bow in awe. And I think it will be an automatic reflex to a seeing and knowing combined that goes far beyond being impressed by an image of.

I'd speculate that if there was anything memorable about his appearance, it was the eyes, which as He said, reflected the soul. Not mesmerizing Hollywood eyes, but eyes that conveyed here was someone who had no guile and could be trusted to deliver the unvarnished truth—or feared because these unrelentingly communicated that a heart-change is required by God, Who both loves and judges with a perfect balance.
 
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SC_Ed said:
If it is correct to say that that Isaiah 53:2 depicts Messiah Jesus’ appearance before he was crucified, then there was nothing captivating about his form. Aside from miracles performed that attested to his credibility, it had to have been his demeanor, expression, remarkable empathy, and astounding power to reveal the heart, wisdom, and character of the Father that moved the masses and frightened his opposition. But the glorified Jesus, He will be something else to behold. Every knee shall bow in awe. And I think it will be an automatic reflex to a seeing and knowing combined that goes far beyond being impressed by an image of.

I'd speculate that if there was anything memorable about his appearance, it was the eyes, which as He said, reflected the soul. Not mesmerizing Hollywood eyes, but eyes that conveyed here was someone who had no guile and could be trusted to deliver the unvarnished truth—or feared because these unrelentingly communicated that a heart-change is required by God, Who both loves and judges with a perfect balance.
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Wow, beat me to it, and better than I could have expressed it, too.
Isaiah 53 tells us Jesus had no 'form nor comliness, and there was no beauty that we should desire him'. It indicates Isaiah got a vision of him, and he was pretty much average, no superman or hollywood star level of appearance. The similarity in historic pictoral works arose all the way back with the first images and paintings of Jesus. I asked Google when that was:
<AI response>
The earliest known images of Jesus are Dura-Europos frescoes from a house church in Syria, dating to around 232-235 AD. These murals depict scenes like Jesus healing the paralytic and walking on water, representing one of the first known instances of portraying Jesus in figurative art rather than through symbolic representations like the fish or anchor
</AI Response>

This indicates the earliest paintings, if they had any actual knowledge of Jesus' physical appearance, would have been 3rd or 4th hand information. John purportedly died around AD 105, and a painter in AD 232 would have had to receive a description from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from John. A physical description of Jesus COULD have been related by the Apostle John to the early church fathers, or by the Apostle Paul, but, why bother? It was what He DID, it was who He WAS, that was of importance, and any symbol or painting of Him might become what the Bronze Serpent became - an object of idol worship. We've even run the risk of making the cross that. Why would God want us to pass down a clear physical representation of Jesus' likeness, when we'd definitely do the same for that?
 
Wow, MisterChris, that is a powerful post and your last paragraph a real keeper. Thanks so much. Glad we could nail this in tandem.
 
On one hand, I tend to doubt those pictures. On the other hand, I heard an interesting story.

A missionary interred a village that had never been visited by Christians before or heard about the Bible or the Gospel. Meeting the first person, he ask if they would like to know about Jesus. The guy saw the artist's picture of Jesus that the missionary was carrying and was like "I know Him! He visits here!" The missionary didn't see how that could be true, but the guy insisted. Finally he asked if he would like an audio Bible and the guy accepted gladly, wanting to know more about Jesus.
Soon, the missionary met someone else with pretty much the same response. They all claimed to have seen Jesus and wanted to know more about Him.
At last, he came to the home of an elderly lady. She began to tell him about this man that had often come to see her and help her. She said He was very kind and loving, but she had noticed that He had scars in His hands. The missionary pulled out the picture and she likewise said that it was a picture of Him.
While the whole thing seemed very strange, all the reports of the One they had seen were that He was kind and loving. They all wanted to know more about Him.

So is there any truth to the artist's depictions? I don't know. Maybe Jesus appeared to the artist in a dream?


However, an awful lot of the pictures look more like a whitish skin tone. Most likely He had a more medium, olive skin color, as the Bible does often mention if a person had particularly light or dark coloring.
 
When I grow my beard and my hair waxes poetic many say I look like Jesus. Some say the devil. Sigh. We are so visually conditioned.
On a human connection note, if someone says, "you're different" then I know Jesus I shining through.
▪︎¤°• Love like He meant it •°¤▪︎
 
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