Dialogue: When it comes to Jesus, it's not the looks that count

By GARTH GEORGE

Why the BBC has bothered with its documentary Son of God sure beats me, because I doubt whether any true believer in Jesus Christ cares one whit about what he might have looked like physically, or whether he was born in a rock cave used as a manger or a wooden one built for the purpose.

For all we care he could have been white, black, brown, yellow or brindle; short and stocky, tall and regal. For us, it is who he is, not what colour he was or how he was built that matters.

We're talking here of the only begotten Son of the Father, of the eternal, omnipotent God coming down to Earth in human form, of the Saviour of the world, of the fount of all that is perfect, loving and good in this sinful old world of ours.

We're talking about a man whose birth, life, death and resurrection split history into two periods; who, in three brief years of ministry, said and did things that turned men's minds inside out and the world upside down.

And we're talking about a person who still lives, who is here with us today in spirit, with whom we communicate where and when we like and as often as we like and who answers all our prayers, be it with a "yes," a "no," a "why?" or a "not yet."

Granted, a lot of Christians are locked into the historical vision of Jesus that they have picked up from centuries of art and from the figure hanging on the crucifix.

But were he to come back down to Earth and visit us here in New Zealand right now, I suspect he would be clean-shaven, his hair neatly trimmed, wearing clean and well-pressed slacks, a sports shirt and jacket and boat shoes and driving a Ford Laser or some other such serviceable but unremarkable means of transport - in other words, looking like any number of 33-year-old Auckland men you see every day.

And I'll bet you this: if you got within 10m of him, his charisma would hit you like a blow to the heart and you would be drawn to him like you had never been drawn to any human being in your life before. One brief encounter with the living Christ and you would never be the same again.

Except, I suspect, for some theologians and ministers of religion and their flocks, who wouldn't recognise him if he introduced himself to them and gave them his card.

But to get back to what Jesus might have looked like when he was here 2000 years ago, I wonder why the BBC chose to rely on computer-generated images. Why didn't they just do a bit of reading?

I am indebted to K.D. Hay, of Kumeu, for this description of Jesus, reportedly written by one Publius Lentulus, said to have been a senior official in Judea of the Roman Empire in the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Whether he wrote it or not, I rather think it more likely than the BBC version:

"There lives at this time in Judea a man of singular virtue, whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the barbarians esteem as a prophet but his followers love and adore him as the offspring of the immortal God. He calls back the dead from the graves and heals all sorts of diseases with a word or touch.

"He is a tall man, well shaped and of an amiable and reverend aspect; his hair of a colour that hardly can be matched, falling into graceful curls, waving about and very agreeably touching upon his shoulders, parted on the crown of his head, running as a stream to the front after the fashion of the Nazarites.

"His forehead is high, large and imposing; his cheeks without spot or wrinkle, beautiful with a lovely red; his nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry; his beard, and of a colour suitable to his hair, reaching below his chin and parted in the middle like a fork; his eyes bright, blue, clear and serene, look innocent, dignified, manly and mature. In proportion of body most captivating; his arms and hands delectable to behold.

"He rebukes with majesty, counsels with mildness, his whole address, whether in word or deed, being eloquent and grave. No man has seen him laugh, yet his manners are exceedingly pleasant, but he has wept frequently in the presence of men.

"He is temperate, modest and wise - a man, for his extraordinary beauty and divine perfection, surpassing the children of men in every sense."

On top of that, of course, we know that his distant ancestor, King David, of the lineage of the tribe of Judah, is described twice in the biblical record as being "ruddy and of a beautiful countenance."

As Mr Hay says: "Clearly, the BBC Jesus is, indeed, nothing more than computerised genetic engineering."

So perhaps the BBC researchers and technicians forgot the first rule of computing: "Garbage in, garbage out."

* garth_george@nzherald.co.nz