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God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 (Words of Christ)
I don't know what Jesus looks like, neither does anyone else who's alive today. The best any of us can do, if we so choose, is guess. So, I'm sure the fellow voter (who happened to be white) didn't mean anything when, after going on and on about a black coach (teacher? principal?), she told my parents and me that, years ago, said school administrator had her kids thinking God is black. I held my tongue but wanted to ask her something like, "Who said He isn't?" I was kind of amused that she assumed my parents and I accepted the popular western idea of a non-black God.
I've since wondered how the fellow voter would have reacted if I'd gone ahead and asked the question. Would she have been offended as was one of my former schoolmate's classmates when my schoolmate told him that he believed Jesus is black? Or, would she have been open to the idea of a black God? Although she didn't come right out and say that she believes God is white as opposed to any other color, I'm assuming that she's in agreement with the common American depiction of a Jesus Who looks like His line is primarily European. Why is the idea of a white God acceptable and the idea of a non-white God unacceptable? And why are we inundated with images that influence the way we picture God in the first place? As Jesus Himself said in John 20:29, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Why do we need pictures and movies, videos and plays that feature portrayals of Jesus when faith is "the evidence of things not seen"? (Hebrews 11: 1)
European Renaissance paintings help explain American images of a white Lord. The primary heritage of many Americans is European. The recent portrayals of Jesus, derived from old artworks, are of a good-looking man with Whom a large segment of the population can identify.
I went through a Jesus-is-undoubtedly-black phase myself. And I have known other people (who also faced prejudice) whose disdain for the Gospel seemed to rest partly in having "white" images of God shoved down their throats. I reasoned (and believe they agreed) that Jesus, Mary and Joseph, once they fled to Egypt, could not have blended in well with the population of the area if they were white.
I have also known other people (who also faced prejudice) who balked at the idea of a black Christ. I vividly recall one instance that took place when my parents were living in my mom's hometown. As I recall, my mom had a Nativity scene on display in the family room, one in which all the people depicted were black. The wife of one of my somewhat distant cousins said to me (after everyone else had left the room) something like, "I don't agree with that!" I defended the display by sharing my belief about Jesus being black, but I also wondered why she waited for everyone else to leave the room before voicing her opinion. I also felt sorry for her, believing that she had bought into her own brainwashing.
Jesus may very well look mostly or partly African, but my attitude at the time was, "He's black! So, there!" I was still lost in those days. My attitude has changed. If Jesus looks Irish, He's my Lord and Savior. If He looks Chinese, He's my Lord and Savior. If He looks Nigerian, He's my Lord and Savior. If He looks Cherokee, Mexican, Samoan or Pakistani, He's my Lord and Savior. No matter what He looks like, He's my Lord and Savior.
What I'm trying to say is that we risk making Jesus' physical appearance seem as if it's a part of the Gospel when we create images of Him. If He was to appear in front of any of us and we could see His skin color, hair texture, eye color and other features, what then? There's no saving grace in His-or our- physical appearance. Isaiah 53:2 states, "[h]e hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."
People who die lost will be held accountable for their sin, but we believers should never let our fantasies be other people's stumbling blocks. Wanting the Lord to look a certain way doesn't mean that's how He looks. And portraying Jesus as a particular color sends a misguided message. It's as if one group of people is saying, "He's our Lord, but don't worry. He'll lower His standards to save you, too!" Our visual aids can become spiritual distractions. God, the Creator of all Who is no respecter of persons, becomes a foreign god who favors people who look like his son over people whom he (unfortunately for them) made with dissimilar features. And that message may drive people away from the only One Who can save them.
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