What Does Jesus Look Like?
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Growing up in church, all the images I saw of Jesus portrayed him as someone with a European look. His skin was light, his hair was blonde, and his eyes were blue. I am not sure where this perception came from because the Bible does not paint a clear picture of what Jesus looked like. However, the Bible gives some references and clues, and when you combine that with historical records, we may find some answers – or at least they will point us in the right direction.
While we will never know exactly what Jesus looked like, we can at least have a much better idea. To answer the question of what Jesus looks like, I want to consider where Jesus was born, where he lived, and specific biblical references that help us get a clearer image of how Jesus may have looked.
What Was Jesus’ Complexion?
The Bible tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and when he was still a baby, most likely under two years old, his parents took him to Egypt to escape persecution from Herod. They stayed in Egypt for an unknown period before returning and settling in Nazareth, which became Jesus’ hometown.
The reason this correlates with Jesus’ appearance is that we can determine the characteristics of people who would have lived in this region during this time. Because Jesus lived in the Middle East and North Africa, his looks would resemble those of people from those areas.
According to the Mishnah, which is an early Jewish collection of Rabbinic teachings compiled around 200 AD, it describes Jewish people of this time as “…like boxwood, neither black nor white but of an intermediate shade.” This quote is attributed to Rabbi Ishmael.
If you look at boxwood, then you could say that Jesus did not have pale skin like a European, and he probably did not have darker skin like a Sub-Saharan African. His complexion was likely to be olive brown or light brown. If we are going to be fair, then we can say that Jesus was a person of color.
What Did Jesus’ Hair Look Like?
For Jewish men in Galilee during this time, it was likely that they had dark brown or black hair. This would be consistent with the people of this region. It was also likely that his hair was wavy, curly, loosely coiled, and relatively short. Short means maybe three to four inches long.
Keeping the hair short was for cultural, religious, and social reasons. In the Jewish culture of this time, it was not acceptable for a man to have long hair. It was seen as an effeminate trait and disgraceful. Paul even addresses this in 1 Corinthians.
“Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering” (1 Corinthians 11:14-15).
Did Jesus Have Facial Hair?
Men at this time would also have had facial hair, which means Jesus most likely had a beard. The Messianic prophecy found in Isaiah backs this up.
“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard” (Isaiah 50:6).
We also see from the law that men did not cut their beards off. While there was no requirement for how long it was to be kept, keeping a beard was part of Jewish culture.
“Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27).
Based on this information, we can fairly reason that Jesus was a brown-skinned man with dark hair and a dark beard.
What Do We Know about Jesus’ General Appearance?
We know nothing of Jesus’ height, but he was most likely ordinary-looking and probably of ordinary height. We can glean this from Isaiah as well.
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2b).
If you imagine Jesus as a tall, dark, handsome, strapping man, that imagery might be off. If we take Isaiah literally, then Jesus probably looked like the average Joe. This makes sense because Jesus would not want people following him based on how he looked. In fact, if he looked different, then there could have been a “Saul Complex” in the people who followed Jesus. When Saul was chosen to be king, his physical qualities were clearly highlighted in 1 Samuel
“Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else” (1 Samuel 9:2).
Saul had the physical attributes that would draw people to him. He was good-looking and possibly eight inches taller than everyone else. If they were looking for someone to be their leader, Saul looked the part.
I don’t think Jesus had any of these physical qualities like Saul did. People were not drawn to Jesus because he looked the part; they were drawn to him because of his character and who he was. His compassion, his authority, his wisdom, and his love and care for people made Jesus attractive to many. His physical appearance was not the primary issue.
Why Does It Matter What Jesus Looked Like?
To be honest, if you view this simply from a redemptive perspective, then it does not truly matter what his physical characteristics were. Whether he was tall or short, light-brown or dark-brown, has nothing to do with the work he did for us on the cross. However, the reason it matters is for historical context and to aid us in preaching a gospel that is inclusive of all people.
When we create a European depiction of Jesus, this does two things wrong. First, it does not give an accurate historical context of how Jesus really looked. As I have tried to establish, the idea of a blonde, long-haired, blue-eyed Jesus is purely fictional. I think I am being generous by using the term fictional.
Second is that Jesus most likely looked like a typical Middle Eastern Jew or Arab, which means our redemption was from a man who was not a white, European savior. That statement may seem uncomfortable, but for many years and for many ethnic groups, the perception has been that Christianity is a white man’s religion. This has been further exacerbated because the images of Jesus we have often seen have reflected that. However, neither of those things is true.
Thinking about what Jesus looked like can affect the way we share the gospel. Again, this might not seem important to some, but it may matter more than you think. Jesus, the olive-skinned or brown-skinned Jew, lived a sinless, perfect life and died to bring salvation to all humanity.
While we are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, it is highly likely and most probable that the blood that spilled, the body that was beaten, and ultimately the man who died, was a man of color. That does not make his death more impressive, because it is truly about the blood he shed and not the color of his skin. However, these simple but important facts make the message of the gospel more relevant and more accessible to people of all nations. It is for that reason that accurate representation matters, and it matters more than you may think.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Aravind Vijayan
He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.