what did Jesus look like?

Don’t you love it when people ask you, “hey, would you like to see some pictures of the grandkids?  They always act like you actually have a choice.  You know they’re going to pull them out and show you anyway.   

So would you like to see one?  This is the newest addition to our family…my sweet granddaughter, Clara Belle.  

It’s funny how everyone always tries to decide who the baby looks like.  “Has her eyes.”  “Has his smile.”  When the baby gets to go to the viewing area for the family to see, you hear these conversations over and over.  Once we were there and heard the grandparents saying…”oh he looks just like you.  He has your eyes.  Same hair color.  Has your smile.”  Another family member walked out and said, “hey, you guys are looking at the wrong baby.”

This got me to thinking. I wonder what Mary and Joseph said when the baby Jesus arrived.  Joseph says “Mary, I think He has your eyes.”  Mary says hey…. uh, uh, “He looks just like His heavenly Father.”  The Bible doesn’t bother to tell us what Jesus looked like.  The closest thing we get to a description is in Isaiah 53:2b, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” All this tells us is that Jesus’ appearance was just like any other man's – He was in fact a bit ordinary.

Isaiah was prophesying that this "soon to arrive" Savior would be born in humble conditions... a manger in a barn… no respectable room available. There would be no royal robe.  That’s what the Jewish community was looking for.  A King.  Someone to come and rule.  Red carpet.  But there was no fanfare.  At least not here.  Certainly there was in heaven.  The angels rejoiced but the only reason we know that is because we have the testimony of the shepherds in the gospel of Luke.  The general population did not even know about it. 

What we do know is this….God stepped out of heaven, came down in the very likeness of man, so that we could identify with Him and so that we could know Him as our personal Savior.    

This much is clear: if it was important for us to know what He really did look like, we would.  His disciples would have written it down.  His brothers and sisters would have told us.  But the Bible gives us few details.  The reason is simple.  It really does not matter what He looked like…. what matters is how much we look like Him.

When this little baby arrived He came as the Savior of the world.  I want you to get that.  He didn’t become the Savior of the world, He was the Savior.  “Jesus, Lord at thy birth.”  As my daughter said to me this week, “Jesus didn’t have to wait until He turned 21 to get His Messiah license.”  He was the Messiah….at that very moment.  Consider this during this season.  How much do you look like Jesus?  In your thoughts, in your words, in your actions?  How much do you look like our heavenly Father? 

PRAYER.  Lord make us like you.  We were created in your image for a reason.  May others when they see us, see only your image.  May others feel and see the love of God through each of us.  In Jesus name.  Amen.