I have seen dipictions of both what I will call a Caucasian Jesus (far more) and a Negro Jesus. I have seen a number of Middle Eastern Jesus as well. What are all of these? They are artist renderings. We can draw him any way we want him to be depicted.
We KNOW that there are Jews whose skin pigments and hair textures vary as widely as Caucasians and Negroes in the USA. As MikeBigg pointed out, the family of Jesus fit in with the Egyptians.
I was never taught that Jesus was Black or White - NEVER. Not by AME, Church Of God, COGIC, Southern Baptist, nor Pentecostal Holiness. I have never been asked to draw a picture of Jesus - not in "the card class" nor any time since. The Scriptures nor the historians (prominently Philo and Josephus) never address it. We can really find no evidence of it having mattered during His earthly existence. We also know that the "...Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians,..." varied in skin color as much as we do today and were all in Jerusalem for the first Pentecost after his Resurrection and constituted the base of the first church - and race did not matter.
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wrote this of himself:
Phil 3:1-15
3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee ;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
So, he was clear that things like this could come up and he warned us against them. Consequently, I preach that. He also wrote these:
1 Cor 12:12-14
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free ; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
and
Gal 3:26-29
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed , and heirs according to the promise.
and
Col 3:9-15
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian , Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Those classical pictures of Jesus as a Euro are only lies as they are "accepted" as being authentic...as are the ones depicting Him as an African. Everyone with a brain, the ability to read, and possessing a concept of centuries knows that there have been NO portraits presented of persons who lived during that time. So, when it comes to such pictures, we simply address it with the truth: none of us has a clue; we will find out when we see Him...not that it will matter.
The folks in our congregation are Caucasian, African-American, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Haitian, Jamaican, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, Columbian, and Honduran. They understand that the truth about Christ will not allow for separation by race, lineage, nationality, economics, etc. I teach Christ like banks teach tellers: recognize the authentic so identifying the counterfeit is really simple.
The Jamaican guy (not a member of our church) who painted the mural of Christ that stretches the entire breadth of our sanctuary painted Him ... Middle Eastern ... with no input from anyone.
