What Color Is Jesus?

Sometimes while you’re out evangelizing, individuals will try to stump you with challenging questions. One I’ve heard primarily from African-Americans is: “What color is Jesus?” I remember ministering to one bitter black man who labeled Christianity “a white man’s religion” that would never work for him. In response, I testified about two African-Americans who got saved a few days before and were immediately healed of bodily injuries. This man was still resistant to the gospel.

People tend to picture the Lord based on their own culture. For centuries, Westerners have depicted the Son of God as a Caucasian. In recent years, there have been increasing amounts of artwork of a black Jesus (the one pictured here is from the old TV sitcom “Good Times”). One well-known preacher who is part Native American jokingly claims Jesus was an Indian because the Bible says He is “chief cornerstone.” Since Jesus lived most of His earthly life in Palestine, one could speculate He had a tan complexion like that of a Middle Eastern person.

Perhaps God didn’t allow the writers of the Bible to reveal a clear description of Jesus’ skin color because He doesn’t want His appearance to be idolized. Exodus 20:4 says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” I don’t believe it’s wrong to have statues of the Lord as long as we don’t bow down to them. We are to worship Him “…in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

Regardless of Jesus’ race, He certainly wasn’t pleasant to look at when He was crucified. Isaiah 53:2-3 says this of the suffering Messiah, “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 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.” But in Revelation chapter 1, the Apostle John wrote this description of the glorified resurrected Christ…

14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 

15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 

16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Who cares if Jesus is white, black, brown, red, or yellow? Jesus came to save all of mankind from spending eternity in hell. So how should you answer someone who asks, “What color is Jesus?” Here’s an analogy the Lord gave me: If you were trapped in a burning house and a fireman came to rescue you, would the race of that fireman matter?

“It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else!” - Romans 1:16 (The Message)

Failure Isn’t Final

Originally I didn’t plan on watching last Sunday’s Super Bowl. I wasn’t fond of either team playing and had no interest in seeing Lady Gaga’s halftime show. But after practicing a sermon, I decided to walk over to a nearby church that previously hosted a Super Bowl party. The church itself was closed but some men living in the dormitories were preparing to watch the big game and I got to join them. The channel was changed during halftime to briefly watch the Harlem Globetrotters on ESPN2.

We ended up seeing a historic game. The New England Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the first Super Bowl that went into overtime. The Patriots overcame two costly turnovers to win their fifth Vince Lombardi trophy. The game illustrated that failure isn’t final…or in the famous words of Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

The Bible has accounts of people who made major mistakes but God still used them to advance His kingdom. Moses killed an Egyptian in a premature attempt to free the children of Israel but later presented the Ten Commandments. Paul was also a murderer but still wrote a large portion of the New Testament. King David committed both adultery and murder yet we recite many of his Psalms today plus sing about how he danced before the Lord.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were liars but today are considered fathers of our faith. Hosea’s wife Gomer was a prostitute but God used that marriage to illustrate His faithfulness to us. Peter denied Jesus three times but later preached the gospel on the Day of Pentecost that brought salvation to thousands. 

Noah got drunk. Jonah ran from God. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal as well as Elijah. Martha was a worrywart. Feel a little better about yourself now?

Regardless if you messed up before or after becoming a Christian, hope is available as long as you’re quick to repent.

“being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ:” - Philippians 1:6

Minnesota Not-So-Nice

In the state where I’ve lived most of my life, you sometimes hear the phrase “Minnesota nice.” Wikipedia defines it as “…the stereotypical behavior of people born and raised in Minnesota to be courteous, reserved, and mild-mannered.” That certainly wasn’t the case last weekend in the capital city of St. Paul. A protest on Interstate 94 turned violent resulting in 102 people being arrested and 21 police officers injured.

What triggered the protest was a police shooting the previous Wednesday in a St. Paul suburb. A black man named Philando Castile got pulled over for a busted taillight. Accordingly to fiancée Diamond Reynolds (who rode in the passenger seat), Philando was reaching for his wallet when a Latino officer fired four shots at him. Diamond then used her cell phone to live-stream the aftermath on Facebook. A ten minute video of Philando bleeding to death and Diamond’s subsequent arrest quickly went viral.

Claims of police targeting African-Americans resulted in the formation of the activist group Black Lives Matter. Personally I’m turned off by the BLM movement because of their practice of blocking highways. I would be furious if I found myself caught in a traffic jam caused by one of their protests. It certainly doesn’t earn sympathy from people trying to get to work (or worse delaying emergency vehicles). All lives matter...not just theirs.

It’s unfortunate the United States has a history of racism. Sadly some African-Americans respond with violence such as the one who shot and killed five police officers in Dallas, Texas on July 7th. In response to this and other recent shootings, Dallas-based African-American pastor T. D. Jakes said, “At the end of the day the blood that is shed on the streets is not black, it is not white, it is not brown – It is red.” Acts 17:26 says, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth…” There is no Scriptural basis for discrimination based on race.

Five decades ago a Baptist minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. experienced discrimination much worse than what most African-Americans face today. Yet Dr. King never used violence to take a stand for his civil rights. As a result, many streets and places are named after him today plus a federal holiday honoring his birthday.

So how should Christians respond to police shootings that are purportedly race-related? First we need to pray for our nation’s leaders especially those in law enforcement. Policemen are not perfect but still deserve our respect. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”

We must also reach out to hurting people with the gospel. Jesus called us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) and as His ambassadors we can be ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). A Facebook friend went with a friend of hers to minister and pray with BLM protesters standing outside the Minnesota Governor's Residence. She and her friend were well received after asking for forgiveness for the church’s past mistakes regarding racism.

One of my neighbors has a bumper sticker that says, “Just be nice.” There’s more we can do than telling people to do random acts of kindness. Changed hearts will result when we obey the Great Commission and people become born again.

“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” - 1 Corinthians 6:17