You Look Like Jesus

So, a bunch of the guys from the “Rat Section,” (Radio Tele-type,) are sitting in the “Rat Room” talking about everything and nothing. It was a mix of pretty much every ethnicity you might care to name. Black, white, Chicano, Puerto Rican, even rednecks.

As I am wont to do, I somehow found myself in the middle of a religious discussion. I can't recall exactly what the topic was, though my guess would be that it varied. Somehow, we got into a discussion of what the Lord did or did not look like. Yeah, a touchy subject at best, but given the mixture in that room, potentially explosive. I, of course, had much to say on the subject at hand.

We were, of course, discussing the many portraits and movies throughout the years in which our Lord was portrayed as a blue-eyed, long-haired, pale-skinned European. I jumped at this golden opportunity to express my disdain for such portrayals and how very absurd and inaccurate I thought them to be. The black kids in the crowd seemed particularly intrigued at my take on the matter.

I'm not sure if someone asked me what I thought Jesus looked like or if I just volunteered my concepts on the matter. Knowing me, I didn't need much provocation.

I began, I think, by stating that one of the few things we know about the Lord's actual appearance are contained in the prophecies of Isiah. He describes Him as “hath no form nor comeliness,” which, to me, means plain or even homely. It tells further that his beard was “plucked.” Jewish men of the first century, habitually wore beards, unlike the Romans and Greeks who tended to be clean shaven. So, with this little information, we can only extrapolate and hope for accuracy, while ignoring bias man-made traditions.

I continued by describing him as being, like all Semites of that region, as likely being dark complected. Not black, but certainly not white. I said that he would've likely had dark, probably, sandy brown hair and it would easily have even been curly. I felt that, again, like those of that region, he would've had a broad, perhaps, large nose also.

As I sat there discussing my ideas, I noticed, directly before me, close enough to touch, was one of several black guys in our “section.” He was very dark, but not black. He had curly, dark brown hair. He had, what I would charitably refer to as, a prominent proboscis.

Suddenly, I lit up, as did the little bulb over my head. I looked him in the eye, with a big smile, and said, “He looked like you!”

Everyone got a big laugh from that. They didn't even see it coming. Then again, neither did I.

Isaiah 53:2

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Isaiah 50:6

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.