© 2011 Luis Coll
© 2011 Urantia Association of Spain
When Jesus left this world, he did not leave any picture or painting of his physical appearance, nor any personal writings of his, and he himself took care to ensure that this did not happen, and many people have asked why?
There was a pretty important reason for that.
Men have always had a tendency to venerate the leader, even at the expense of his teachings; to reverence his personality, even while losing sight of the truths he proclaimed. (UB 92:5.5)
Too often in human history, people have tended to hoard the relics of so-called holy men of God, only causing people to stray from the original teachings of these masters.
Jesus took great care to ensure that this didn’t happen to him personally. Nothing remains of the human Jesus, not a single garment or sandal, not a single painting from his time—nothing.
Even Jesus’ physical body was dissolved by celestial entities to prevent him from being embalmed or having his bones preserved as relics.
The mortal remains of Jesus underwent the same natural process of elemental disintegration as characterizes all human bodies on earth except that, in point of time, this natural mode of dissolution was greatly accelerated, hastened to that point where it became well-nigh instantaneous. UB 189:2.8
But what remains is his wonderful example of life, his positive and transformative teachings, his Spirit of Truth—the most precious gift a human being can receive—which he sent when he left this world, and which has changed the hearts and souls of millions of people.
One purpose which Jesus had in mind, when he sought to segregate certain features of his earthly experience, was to prevent the building up of such a versatile and spectacular career as would cause subsequent generations to venerate the teacher in place of obeying the truth which he had lived and taught. Jesus did not want to build up such a human record of achievement as would attract attention from his teaching. …Accordingly, he consistently sought to suppress everything during his eventful career which he thought might be made to serve this natural human tendency to exalt the teacher in place of proclaiming his teachings. (UB 128:4.6)
He pondered deeply over the advice he had been given concerning his work methods, and that he should leave no lasting writings on the planet. Jesus never wrote again, except in the sand. On his subsequent visit to Nazareth, and to the great sorrow of his brother Joseph, Jesus destroyed all of his writings that were preserved on the tablets in the carpenter’s shop or hung on the walls of the old house. (UB 136:4.2)
It’s useless to try to draw pictures of what Jesus looked like physically; for that, we would have had to have been there and seen him in person. It’s even more useless and a waste of time to try to find his tomb, remains of his cross, or any of his personal belongings.
¶ Acceptable images of Jesus
Many drawings and paintings have been made about Jesus Christ, and not all of them have accurately reflected his physical appearance. Some painters and artists have left us beautiful paintings of Jesus to give us an idea of what the Son of Man might have looked like physically.
In fact, to know what Jesus looked like physically, we would have had to have been there 2,000 years ago and seen him in person.
In these beautiful paintings, we can get an idea of what the human Jesus must have looked like physically. These artists have sought to present a human Jesus with a dignified appearance, a poised, kindly, and penetrating gaze, giving a true reflection of the Son of Man as expressed in the Scriptures.
When Jesus had finished these words, the people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7:29)
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)
Jesus was one of the most robust and refined specimens of manhood to appear on earth since the days of Adam. His physical development was superb. His mind was active, keen, and penetrating—compared with the average mentality of his contemporaries, it had developed gigantic proportions—and his spirit was indeed humanly divine. (UB 128:6.2)
Although many painters and artists have done a very good job of trying to depict Jesus’ face with a dignified bearing, in reality they would have had to have been standing in front of the Master to paint him.
But Jesus did not allow himself to be egotistical, exalted, or flattered in his physical person. In this case, he was a teacher and guide to men and an inspiration to future generations of what a true spiritual leader should be like.
¶ Negative images about Jesus
On the other hand, it’s very regrettable the images and drawings that have been made of Jesus, presenting a Jesus with beautiful blue eyes, effeminate and a gentle mystic, or presenting this ascetic, dark, serious Jesus, sad and vagrant in appearance, like a strange hermit wandering through the worlds of God, or presenting Jesus as a powerful human king laden with jewels—an image far removed from reality. And in these modern times, a commercial Jesus tailored to the interests of a few.
This was not the Jesus who was here in our world.
The pictures of Jesus have been most unfortunate. These paintings of the Christ have exerted a deleterious influence on youth; the temple merchants would hardly have fled before Jesus if he had been such a man as your artists usually have depicted. His was a dignified manhood; he was good, but natural. Jesus did not pose as a mild, sweet, gentle, and kindly mystic. His teaching was thrillingly dynamic. He not only meant well, but he went about actually doing good. (UB 141:3.6)
Jesus was one of the most robust and refined specimens of manhood to appear on earth since the days of Adam. His physical development was superb. His mind was active, keen, and penetrating—compared with the average mentality of his contemporaries, it had developed gigantic proportions—and his spirit was indeed humanly divine. (UB 128:6.2)
¶ Catastrophic images and drawings about Jesus
You shall not portray your teacher as a man of sorrows. Future generations shall know also the radiance of our joy, the buoyance of our good will, and the inspiration of our good humor. We proclaim a message of good news which is infectious in its transforming power. (UB 159:3.10)
Even more regrettable are the drawings and images that have been made of Jesus, presenting a Jesus who is completely distorted from the reality of what the Son of Man must have looked like in his physical appearance.
Many people and young people are not attracted to a Jesus presented as sad, sorrowful, and very strange; they see him as a man who lived 2,000 years ago and whose cause is not worth dedicating one’s life to.
Many earnest persons who would gladly yield loyalty to the Christ of the gospel find it very difficult enthusiastically to support a church which exhibits so little of the spirit of his life and teachings, and which they have been erroneously taught he founded. Jesus did not found the so-called Christian church, but he has, in every manner consistent with his nature, fostered it as the best existent exponent of his lifework on earth. (UB 195:10.9)
If the Christian church would only dare to espouse the Master’s program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking, and they would not hesitate to go all the way through with this great adventure. (UB 195:10.10)
Forget about that dry, sad, and painful Christ hanging in some gloomy corner of a church, or that Jesus dressed in purple and laden with jewels who only seems to bless the rich, and the commercial Jesus of the Jesus Christ Superstar type.
The dry, dull, sad and painful Christ only produces in the poor minds of children a gloomy image of judgment and fear about Jesus.
When it is not possible to worship God in the tabernacles of nature, men should do their best to provide houses of beauty, sanctuaries of appealing simplicity and artistic embellishment, so that the highest of human emotions may be aroused in association with the intellectual approach to spiritual communion with God. … Beauty is most religious when it is most simple and naturelike. How unfortunate that little children should have their first introduction to concepts of public worship in cold and barren rooms so devoid of the beauty appeal and so empty of all suggestion of good cheer and inspiring holiness! The child should be introduced to worship in nature’s outdoors…(UB 167:6.6)
If a person—even a child—wants to look toward the cross of Jesus, they should look at that brave and courageous hero dying with a courage and dignity that astonished this world and an entire universe.
This spectacle produced a mighty shudder in the realms of an immense universe… (UB 185:6.4)
It is time to introduce this world to Jesus, the -Son of Man- that positive and dynamic man from Galilee, who was in our world 2,000 years ago and who was said to go everywhere doing good, and now that he is no longer physically with us we should learn to know him in spirit and in truth.
What an awakening the world would experience if it could only see Jesus as he really lived on earth and know, firsthand, his life-giving teachings! (UB 195:9.8)