Art: “Madonna mit Jesus umgeben von Kindern,” by Eduard Veith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Available online at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eduard_Veith_Madonna_mit_Jesus_umgeben_von_Kindern_1896.jpg

Written by Matt Benton, Pastor of Bethel United Methodist Church in Woodbridge, VA

image of baby Jesus Art: “Madonna mit Jesus umgeben von Kindern,” by Eduard Veith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — Art: “Madonna mit Jesus umgeben von Kindern,” by Eduard Veith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jesus was from North Africa. How come in pictures he always looks like one of the Bee Gees?”

What does God look like? The Sunday school answer is that God looks like Jesus. But how do we depict Jesus, how do we depict God? Two millenia of Christian art have given us myriad depictions of the divine. Very often, Jesus becomes depicted very similarly to the one doing the depicting. Jesus looks a whole lot like the artist.

And in some ways this can be beautiful. When we see a collection of icons that show Jesus embodying the full diversity of the human race we gain a deeper appreciation for what it means for God to become truly human, for God to share in our flesh. And for all who share the flesh of Christ to find redemption in Him. As we see a vision of Jesus from all corners of our world we understand the fullness of the rescue mission that God undertook in Jesus Christ: for God so loved the world!

But this can also quickly become problematic when one culture wants to assert that their Jesus is the most correct Jesus. The image selected for this devotion is a painting of Mary and Jesus by Austrian painter Eduard Veith. In the painting you can see that Mary and Jesus look very, well, Austrian. There’s no trace of any of Jesus’ and Mary’s Jewish or Palestinian origins.

When this is our way of understanding how God has come to identify with us in Jesus Christ it is beautiful. But when we propagate our version of Jesus to the rest of the world, when we tell the rest of the world that our version of Jesus is the best one (cue Ricky Bobby “I like the baby version the best!”) we make God in our own image rather than being conformed to the image of God in Christ.

The Jesus we meet in the Bible is the suffering servant, who died that we might live. Too often we want to make a Jesus in our own image, a Jesus who doesn’t challenge us, but instead confirms our own beliefs, votes for our preferred political leaders, and stands for all of our values. And too often we want to preach to others this is the only Jesus that exists.

This Lent, may the true Jesus, the Christ of the Bible, confront your pre-existing notions of who Jesus is and what God looks like. And might you come to see, perhaps not the Christ you want, but the one whom the Father graciously gives us.