Ugly or Beautiful?

He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. Isaiah 53:2 (NKJV)

Was Jesus handsome?  Not necessarily a good question, but interesting, nonetheless.  What makes for a handsome man?  A beauty website lists these eight musts:  a defined jawline, a forward grown face, balanced facial thirds, eye tilt, high cheekbones, low body-fat percentage, philtrum length, brow-bone height, and sex appeal.  www.mybeautyconsultant.net.  Through the centuries, artistic renditions portray Jesus as a ruggedly handsome man, dark contemplative eyes, bone-structured face reminiscent of a Madison Avenue male model, and expressions behind a fulsome beard speaking of both confidence and humility.   Actors sporting photogenic looks like Jim Caviezel, Christian Bale, Ted Neeley, and others have played Jesus Christ in various films and plays.  Apparently, the general consensus of such an iconic figure mandate a composite of appealing features.  Can’t have an ugly Jesus, can we?

Sorry.  The Scriptures tell a different story.  Jesus was no “pretty boy” looking to get a part in a Broadway musical, land a modeling gig, or whatever the counterparts would have been in Jerusalem’s culture.  While we have no physical depictions of Him from the era in which He lived, indications are that he possessed few, if any, of the properties deemed handsome.  Isaiah’s prophecy describes Him as without a pleasing form or comeliness.  The implication is strong that had you seen Him walking down the street, you may be repulsed by His looks.  Nothing about Him evoked desire or appeal.  We may as well admit it—difficult though it may be—Jesus was either ugly or extremely plain.  Whatever He was, He was undoubtedly the antithesis of the beauty website’s prescription for masculine attractiveness.

So, what’s the point of this discussion?  To thinking people, physical characteristics are petty and they certainly play a minimal role in something as serious as salvation.  Well, I didn’t bring this up, Isaiah did.  He must have had a compelling reason to broach the subject.  It is clear that the Messiah’s outward appearance—and by extension, every aspect of redemption’s story—would be a litmus test for the world’s genuine appetite for true salvation.  Those with shallow tastes, those ruled by carnal instincts, those who lack spiritual insight, and those who dabble in superficial concerns would reject Jesus.  He was the Cornerstone, but those who rejected Him saw Him as a stumbling stone. 

This unattractive Messiah carried His repulsive characteristics over to the gospel message He preached.  To follow Him, one must abandon his or her lifestyle.  He brought division to His disciples’ homes. He demanded that people eat His flesh and drink His blood.  He instructed them to forget the dream of reestablishing the Kingdom of Israel and returning to the glory days of King David.  He warned them that they would be hated and would suffer for His namesake.  These predictions, outrageous as they may be, resonated with His disciples and were reiterated in their ministries.  Hear the words of Simon Peter: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.” 1 Peter 4:12-14 (NKJV)

The last few decades have seen an accelerated attempt to fundamentally change the gospel message.  Many now try to cast Christianity in a positive light, minimizing the negatives and emphasizing the positives, thinking essentially to wash the ugly out of the church.  They preach a Christ without a commitment, a gospel devoid of sacrifice, and little or no difference between the straight and narrow way that Jesus spoke about and the broad way that leads to destruction.  They tell the world to come and take a look at a designer-Christianity which says be whatever you want to be, do whatever you want to do, worship whatever you want to worship and you will still be accepted.  What they have done, however, is to preach a deformed and defunct gospel to world already glutted with false religions.

Jesus did not incarnate Himself in an attractive body for the same reason that He ordained His birth to penurious parents in a filthy stable.  He did not enter this world to adoring masses, but to the accompaniment of cows and sheep, to an audience of lowly shepherds, and to the threats of a murderous monarch.  The advent of Christ forced believers to dismiss the glitter and gold that mesmerize the world, to despise the riches upon which shallow souls base their worth, and to value the eternal more than the temporal. 

Yes, I have a problem with a beautiful Jesus.  You can’t undo the stable and manger birth.  You can’t unring the strident and offensive commands of Christ.  You can’t de-thorn the crown of thorns, guild the splintered cross, blot out the blood that flowed from His hands, feet and side, and revoke the callused injustice of the crucifixion.  To turn Jesus into a rock star is to subvert the entire purpose of Calvary.  Why?  Because beautifying Christ glosses over the grossness of our sins.  The ugliness of Christ is commensurate with the transgressions of mankind.  If Jesus was ugly, it’s only because our sins were uglier.  “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.” Isaiah 53:3-4 (NKJV)

Once you adjust yourself to the superficial ugliness of Christ, you will find that—beneath the surface—you will experience infinite joy and peace that you could never see at first glance.  You will discover that there is something more valuable than a handsome face or a comely physical appearance.  Jesus will be your bread, your water, your light, your joy.  He will be your way, your truth your life. 

Stop trying to make the gospel more attractive.  An attractive Jesus only draws the superficial, the carnal, and the insincere.  Jesus, just the way the Scriptures present Him, slices through the layers of fleshly desires and connects you with eternity.  “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)