Chapter 18 #2
“Most of the biblical artwork I’ve seen, from late antiquity through the Renaissance, was created by Europeans.
And the artists tended to portray biblical figures resembling the people around them–either the models they would hire from the streets or members of the rich dynastic families who could afford to patronize the artists and have paintings of themselves created.
So, the fact that White faces in this artwork have been pervasive doesn’t mean it should be persuasive.
Through colonial expansion, these images of a White Jesus became almost universal when really, they were just a reflection of a visual language rooted in convenience.
But that convenience poses a problem for religious expansionism because it presents God as an idol and that idol having European features that were meant to be universal but are in fact hyper-local,” Japheth theorized.
“Did Jesus spend some time in Egypt? Were the Queen of Sheba and Simon of Cyrene Black? Yes, likely, and probably. Does that mean Jesus was Black? Probably not, but they inspire communities to see Him through a familiar lens. Caucasian and Black depictions arise from local artistic traditions, symbolism and theological or political needs. These are not really attempts to reconstruct history, but expressions of cultural identity and a longing to be like the Big Guy or at least believe He’s not so different from us.
This leads me to the most logical and probable countenance of Christ. Jesus was/is a Galilean Jew living in Roman controlled Palestine.
Typical Eastern Mediterranean features include darker hair, olive to brown skin, and a broader nose.
Jesus spoke Aramaic and lived in a Semitic culture.
The way He dressed, and His grooming would align with other Jewish men of that time and place.
Add a little Divine pixie dust, a healthy dose of wood-working to build His frame, an adherence to self-care for that lovely olive complexion, and Jesus was/is undoubtedly a studly Middle-Eastern male model–kind of like me,” Japheth explained with a smile.
Rebekkah scrunched her brow and tilted her head at Japheth as if to assess him anew, “You’re Mediterranean!”
“Uh-huh. And Middle Eastern,” he affirmed.
“You’re White,” Ronald said gently, shaking his head.
“Well…” Japheth hedged, his ancestry a bit of a kaleidoscope, even for him.
“Guys, I know I’m new to this,” Ronald said, “but I had a dream last night. Jesus and I were shooting hoops. I was winning, but I think his dress and sandals were really slowing him down. Anyway, I can tell you for certain, without a shadow of a doubt, Jesus is Black.”
“I did not know this was going to be dinner and a show,” Carrington said, grinning. “Ronald, this date has been next level.”
“Jesus is Black!” Ronald declared. “If He’s not like me, how can I hold out for Him as a hero?”
“Jesus is White!” Rebekkah countered.
“Jesus is Middle Eastern!” Japheth singsonged, naturally harmonizing with the chaos.
“I’m really not one for labels, they belong on clothes, not people,” Carrington said, holding up a hand. “And I don’t think someone like Jesus, who forgoes fashion for flip-flops, is into labels either. Which of you has seen Jesus?"
“I see Him in the clouds every day at 3:15 or 3:16 p.m.,” Japheth answered earnestly. “Ronald saw Him, too!”
“Who here has seen Him outside the context of cumulus formations?” Carrington asked. “In the flesh?”
“You really know clouds, Carrington!” Japheth said, impressed.
“Just answer the question. Anyone?” Carrington pressed on.
“No,” Rebekkah admitted.
“No,” Japheth echoed, a bit humbled.
“No,” Ronald said. “Unless my dream counts?”
“Not today, sorry sweetie. Okay,” Carrington said simply, “let’s stop this ridiculous fight because I have seen Jesus.”
“What? Seriously?” Rebekkah gasped.
“Yes,” Carrington said, eyes casting far over the fence line and beyond. “I have. In the flesh.”
“Where?!” Japheth leaned forward so fast the ark gave a polite creak.
“He was in the stands at the curling rink,” Carrington said, with the conviction of the converted. “I had just finished sweeping and I stood up to wipe my brow and there He was, in the stands looking right at me and giving me two thumbs up.”
“Two?” Ronald asked, needing all the details.
“My team had the hammer, and we’d just cleared the other rocks and left ours right and tight in the centre of the house,” Carrington added with a nod.
“That’s good?” Ronald said, having not spent a lot of time on the ice.
“That’s very good,” Carrington confirmed.
“So, Jesus is just beaming at me and giving me two thumbs up. And I feel this warm sensation, this tingling from the tips of my toes all the way to the root of my hairline and it’s like I’m being charged up, you know?
Like an electrical pulse is flowing through me as I gaze at Him and He’s gazing back at me. And do you know what colour he was?”
“White?” Rebekkah guessed.
“Black?” Ronald tried.
“A lovely olive?” Japheth offered.
“No, my friends,” Carrington said, smiling now as the memory moved through them. “Jesus was most certainly rainbow hued, like a swarthy Rainbow Brite, and He was the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh, wow,” Rebekkah breathed out softly, like a whispered prayer.
“That’s incredible,” Japheth said. “I mean, of course he would be rainbow hued.”
“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Ronald said, sitting back, satisfied.