What did Jesus look like or did Jesus look different for certain people?

Question

Now, I don't go to church, my family stopped when I was like 8 (I'm 13), the church near me, that didn't have a raping problem and was Christian(not Catholic even though that is Christian), was a super church. It didn't really teach me much, since I was little I went with the other little kids, we only watched Veggietales and colored. We really didn't like that it used fast food and drink places, like Starbucks, to attract people since that isn't what church is about to us. I did learn what ellipses were though.

So, I didn't really know what Jesus looked like except the pictures in my grandma's house. The Jesus in her house had (idk if she has them in her new house) a black guy with thick hair and then one with lighter skin, very long hair, and a long beard.

I asked her which one was really Jesus and she said that she said that she thinks that the black one is since nowadays they don't portray peoples' colors correctly and that we were the first people. She has both because she likes to have more than one thing portraying Jesus, even though it isn't the right one to her, she still knows who it is supposed to be. (Her church is a black church and the booklets portray Jesus as black)

I have even seen Jesus with white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes and for some reason, I don't really like it since it seems fake.

My question is, which Jesus is right? And for the wrong ones, do you know why they changed them or did God make it so Jesus could be seen differently for different people?

Answer 1

What did Jesus look like?

While the Bible doesn't give any detailed information as to Jesus' appearance, let's look at the facts:

• Jesus was born of a Jewish woman, therefore he would have the characteristics of that particular nationality. He would blend in with the local people without standing out amongst a crowd. (John 7:10,11)
• Jesus' hair would have been longish, probably around the shirt collar, but not long like that of women (1 Cor. 11:14)
• Jesus would have a beard as was the custom for those following the Law of Moses (Lev. 19:27)
• Being a carpenter for a time, Jesus had the physical traits of someone that did intensive labor. Let's not forget that Jesus did lots of walking during his 3 1/2 year ministry. (Matt. 9:35)

Some people have argued that Jesus was of African descent because of the description of Jesus in Revelation 1:14, 15. But the book of Revelation was presented "in signs" (Rev. 1:1) to the Apostle John, so the description of Jesus would have symbolic meanings. Take for example that Revelation also describes Jesus as having feet of bronze or copper (Rev. 1:15), but there is no race that has skin color like in that description.

Some people say that Jesus was weak or frail. Jesus was a man of action like when he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple. (John 2:14, 15) The only time Jesus needed help was after he had been whipped and beaten by Roman soldiers. (Luke 23:26)

If you would like more information on this topic, read the article "What Did Jesus Look Like?" on jw.org. This is just one of several "Bible Questions Answered".

Answer 2

Jesus looked the same for everyone.

did God make it so Jesus could be seen differently for different people?

I'll address this part of your question, since agarza has addressed what Jesus actually looked like based on Biblical sources.

In essence, no, Jesus looked the same for everyone. During his life on Earth, Jesus had a fully human body of flesh and blood. While his facial features were supernaturally transformed during his Transfiguration, he still remained fundamentally human.

1 John 4:2-3

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess 1that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

If Jesus had a flesh-and-blood human body, then it would have interacted with the world the same way every other flesh-and-blood human body does; it would have reflected light the same way our bodies do, and it would have appeared the same to everyone the same way our bodies do - though the interpretation of the light Jesus's body might have varied from person to person, the same way that two different people can look at the same thing and interpret it differently based on differences in their personal experiences and contexts.