Jesus: The Original Fabio?

Jesus: the man with the long flowing chocolate brown hair, muscled body, and starched white robe...right? Not exactly.

Scripture tells us in Isaiah 53:2 that Jesus, "had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." WOW. Really? I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that the tall, dark, and handsome man we see on Sunday School handouts and Google searches isn't the real Jesus, but I think it's safe to say that he has been given a makeover, so to speak. 

Take the recent tv series The Bible, for example. While I commend the show for being as Biblically accurate as possible, I did notice that Jesus looked like he was rocking some straight veneers! He could have starred in a commercial for Crest Whitestrips while simultaneously dying on the cross for our sins. 

I know this post might come off as sacrilegious, but hear me out. This man changed the entire world. He performed countless miracles, died on a cross for our sins, and even conquered death, yet we feel we have to make this man more attractive. Why is that? What does that say about the culture in which we live?

If we were to focus on Jesus' teachings and miracles instead of his appearance, it might actually help us see others in the same light. Check out 1 Samuel 16:7 for example: "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I love this verse because it promises me that even on the days I look "ratchet," I am still worthy of His love! How many times have we judged someone by their height or appearance? What if God wants to tell us the same thing that he told Samuel?

Jesus looks at the heart. We look at appearances. Since Jesus is our model, what if we were to try and become blind, in a sense? During his time here on Earth, Jesus never once judged someone by their outward appearance, but always by their hearts. I challenge you to start looking beyond the flesh of others. Look to the heart. Maybe, if we become "blind," we will see something that we've been missing all along.