General
None of us can conclusively say what race or color of skin Jesus had while here on earth or will have in the end time, if any. None of the original biblical manuscripts include graphics/pictures. Our God was wise to send/bring Jesus before we had cameras, etc. Jesus race and color of skin does not matter anyway. This is also true of the other biblical apostles, disciples, and Christians. Jesus says salvation is of the Jews; thus, confirming himself to be a Jew since he is the Saviour. Yet, none of us can conclusively determine from the Bible or non-Bible writings that Jews of that day were of only one skin color and race.
Some point to aspects of Revelation 1:14-16 to justify claiming Jesus color of skin was/is black/dark and therefore it would be proper to say he was/is of the Black race.
Those scriptures say: “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”
But I don’t recall ever seeing a black person with white wooly hair or hair as white as wool or eyes physically as a flame of fire. And I don’t recall ever seeing a white man with woolly hair. So in my view neither the black man nor the white man can rightly use these scriptures to claim Jesus was a white man or a black man. But even if one conclude all of the hair stuff is possible for either white people or black people that still leaves the eyes like flaming fire and the two edged sword sticking out his mouth. I don’t think Jesus was walking around while here on earth with a physical sword sticking out his mouth and if it only refers to after his death that says nothing about how he looked while in the flesh on earth.
Also, Revelation uses a lot of symbolisms/metaphors to describe things about Christ like beauty, awesomeness, and power. Also, be mindful these verses describe Christ as John saw Christ after Christ ascension and in a vision not as John saw Christ on earth before Christ ascension. Also, the prophet Daniel seemingly uses symbolism/metaphors (e.g , Daniel 7:9).
Indeed, nowhere in either of those scriptures is there even any hint as to Jesus color of skin and therefore nowhere in either of those scriptures does it state Jesus color of skin or race. The only color mentioned is White so if these scriptures spoke to his race or color of skin it would be that he was White. But the scriptures do not say that either. The scriptures do say that his hair color was white like wool. Proper examination of the sentence structure clearly concludes the word white refers to hair color not skin color. But even if these scriptures indicate his hair was wooly (which again, I hold they do not) that does not prove his skin color was Black. Also do you think Jesus eyes while he was here looked like a flaming fire? I don’t think so, for people would most likely have really have looked at him as some physically deformed weirdo and run from him. It is unreasonable and valueless to consider these scriptures as referring to Jesus actual physical bodily characteristics while he was here in human form. Or do you think his feet were literally brass? It is more reasonable and valuable to see these scriptures as involving symbolism.
Daniel 10:6 is interesting in that in the KJV translation it speaks of a vision in which a man is said to have “feet like in colour to polished brass…”. The complete scripture is given below:
(Dan 10:5) Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
(Dan 10:6) His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
Now the question becomes what color is polished brass. Here it is said “like in colour”; yet, the specific color as in brownish or blackish or whiteish is not given. Indeed, one can find references to brass having a variety of colors to include black brass, brown brass, and white brass. So even this scripture is not conclusive as to the specific color visualized. Additionally, note that the face is said to be like lightening which is usually a whiteish so if we assume that the face was whitish and the feet was brownish then we have a multicolored or multiracial person; thus, no particular race can claim Jesus is of their race exclusively.
None of us can conclusively determine that we are descendants of Jesus or any of the biblical apostles or other biblical disciples of Jesus Christ, regardless of whether they were Jews or Gentiles. Furthermore, biblically speaking, Gentiles are non-Jews. They are not Jews away from the Jewish homeland; such a claim is at best misunderstanding and at worst both spiritual and intellectual dishonesty. Indeed, under Jesus, God’s children certainly include both Jews and Gentiles who are believers in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah.
Even with the advent of DNA no conclusive determination can be made regarding such far off ancestry. Science is temporally useful; but, it has no spiritual value because science is at best experimental and speculative: Consider the celestial body called Pluto. Once the scientist called it a planet; but, now they say it is not a planet. Well, but then after declaring it is not a planet I read somewhere they are considering declaring it a planet again.
Indeed, any determination regarding race or ancestry of far off people would be merely speculative and of no spiritual value. It provides us with no conclusive identity as such identification would be speculative and again of no spiritual value. Such speculation would also probably lead some though not all to consider one’s race or group spiritually superior or privileged over to another race or group. I suspect that erroneous rationale of superiority was part of the slavery system in America and elsewhere involving white slave masers over black slaves where various scriptures were wrongly applied to justify n their minds the America form of slavery of “inferior” people. By the way what if Adam was black and Eve white or vice versa as my God can do anything even beyond what we humans think is possible.
Jesus purpose in saying salvation is of the Jews was not to declare the Jews as eternally spiritually superior to others. His purpose was to declare them as temporarily superior in their knowledge of God and as chosen by God to be that nation through whom the Saviour came and through whom he would institute and promulgate his laws, commandments, expectations, mercy, and grace to all the nations and people of the world, Jew/Israelite and non-Jew/non-Israelite (Gentile). So then now the Saviour and knowledge of God’s standard are available to all nations of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, this spiritual superiority of the Jews/Israelites no longer exists in any real valuable sense to them or any nation.
Let none of us divisively claim any right to represent Jesus as being of his/her skin color or race to the exclusion of others. Such a claim is satanic at its core; this does not mean the claimants are satanic in other matters or insincere about their search for truth, their trust in God, or their acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour, though their understanding be incomplete. Indeed, right after Jesus commended Peter for hearing from God concerning Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:17) Jesus had to rebuke even Peter for being satanic in listening to Satan (Matthew 16:23). Yet, if their claim is rooted in hatred or disdain for others then they simply need to check their hearts and their relationship to God. All of this reminds us of the spiritual war in which we fight; let us be steadfast soldiers in Jesus Army and not in Satan’s army.
Let us not be the evil we accuse others of having been or of being. If you are a black man and want a picture of Jesus as a black man, get a picture of him as a black man if that makes you feel good. If you are a white man and want a picture of him as a white man, get a picture of him as a white man if that makes you feel good. The same applies to all other races, nationalities, and ethnicities, etc. After all, the picture is nothing more than the artist representation of him, either one is just as useful as the other. They are nothing more than a symbol; neither is the ‘real thing’. However, having a picture of Jesus or of any heavenly being in a worship center such as a church is problematic as it suggest racial superiority/affinity and otherwise at least approaches violation of Exodus 20:1-7.
Let us sincerely seek truth and greater spiritual maturity. Let us live in much peace and love in the name of Jesus, the one who gave his life for our sins and yet resurrected to give us hope for life after earthly death, by whatever name we call him please just make sure that is the one we believe in and point to and not another Jesus that Paul speaks about in 2 Cor 11:1-4.
After all, color of skin has nothing to do with salvation. So I do not see a white man or a black man as my Saviour. As Jesus skin color in terms of race is not important to me or to any person’s salvation. Salvation is about the internal being not the external flesh. Color of skin is not a spiritual matter. Flesh and blood shall not be in Heaven.
If interested, see article entitled Of Racist and Racism here.
To God Be the Glory!
