Question: I would like to pose this question. What race of people were the Israelites and for that matter Jesus himself? Let me go on to say that it really does not matter one way or the other. We all are descendants of Adam and Eve, so we are all related whether we want to be or not.

Here is my point and I hope that you would agree, these ancestors of ours were not necessarily African people in nature, but certainly we know they were not white people either. You see the problem is if you live in a European or should I say, Western civilization and you are not from the Caucasian race, you are bombarded with depictions of Jesus (God) as a white male. Now – this has an effect on both whites and minorities. It can give the impression to white folks that God looks like us and therefore we must be superior to the other races. And, therefore, can cause the exact opposite reaction to minorities. I believe that God has told us that we should not make any images of him because we could not come close to what he may look like.

How can we as mere human beings conceive the power of God? When we create images of God, we fall into worshipping the image rather than God the spirit. As you well know – faith is unseen belief. I think the artists of the middle centuries have done us all a disservice. Although their intentions may have been good, it has caused some division among us.

Greg

Answer: Greg,

I very much agree with 99% of what you say. Race is not, according to Christ, something that should divide us. He has broken down the walls of division (see Ephesians 2). But sadly, race is used by humans to divide, to cause violence, hatred and warfare. We all want to be and feel superior by reason of who we are, instead of bowing the knee to God and accepting him as superior.

Yes, Jesus has been depicted as white, primarily because the dominant people group in Christianity were of paler skin at the time the art was commissioned, or because the artist was, or in many cases because the patron who was paying for the art was white. And in so doing, racial stereotyping has been reinforced. The most ludicrous of all has been to depict Jesus as Nordic, with blue eyes, pale skin, etc. Completely out of the historical and geographical context of his times.

The command not to make images is primarily, in the context, because of the tendency to worship that image. It is not a de facto sin to draw a picture of Jesus, because the Bible does reveal that God came to us in the person of Jesus to save us from our sin. He added flesh to his divinity – thus he was a human. He was subject to death, and, of course, he willingly and voluntarily died for our sins. We should not, of course, worship a depiction, and we should understand the limitations of anyone who tries to depict him, for we cannot humanly capture all of what Jesus was and is.

Hope this helps. Thanks for your comments.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht