A couple of days ago, I posted a sketch of Jesus praying on social media. Today, I decided to do another one, this time incorporating a symbolic halo, which I thought would be a cool addition.
I purposely didn’t look at the first sketch while drawing the second one because I wanted it to have a completely different look.
We all have a preconceived visual of what Jesus looked like; mine happens to be pretty standard for a Westerner. It’s fascinating how those internal images are shaped by where we grew up, the language we speak, our family connections, ancestral roots, and regional media.
I used to think the internet was new that it would bring people together, spread knowledge, and educate the masses. Instead, it has often proven to do the opposite—fostering division and ignorance.
The visual appearance of Jesus is a prime example of a topic people love to fight over, even though it can be easily addressed. If you strip away regional cultural portrayals and look strictly at the historical timeline, the geography, the local population of that era, and the biblical and secular descriptions of how he was viewed, the reality is straightforward. No amount of opinion or internet arguing changes historical data. Yet millions still fight about it. Usually for some reason it is atheists and nominal Christians. In contrast, I’ve never once heard anyone with actual knowledge of paleoanthropology or related fields echo the foolish arguments you see people yap about online.
Before the comments start up here: historically and anthropologically, he would have closely resembled a tan-skinned, ethnic Greek of today.
Think of tanned olive skin, thin and muscular because of his upbringing and travels, he had a beard, and his hair was not a long and flowing mane as we western artists enjoy portraying so often. His hair was dark brown or black, and he was of average height for the time, place, and peoples, which makes him probably 5’5″ or 5’6″ and would be considered short by todays standards. His eye color is debatable, Yes, they very well could have been blue.
I know that is one thing certain sorts love to yap yap yap about. There was a large amount of the blue eye folk in the area at the time. Blue eyes originated roughly 8000 years ago in the black sea area which is roughly 600 miles total from the place of Jesus’s birth around six thousand years later. All the blue eye folk of the world have at least one direct ancestor from that area in that time. Blue eyes or brown? Yep.
I will also add a note here on the hair. Jesus was a Jew. Jews wore short hair at that time, and almost always wore a beard. One exception was a Jew who took a Nazirite vow. Jesus was originally from Nazareth. Some people mistakenly conflate the two things. The similarity between the two words is just a linguistic coincidence. They are not related, and don’t sound related except in English. So… couple that with descriptions = short or shortish hair on top. He wasn’t pale, he wasn’t dark, he wasn’t big or small for hist time, but would have obviously been in stellar physical shape.
So, does any of that actually matter? It matters not at all in a religious sense if you are a Christian.
Christian doctrine teaches that there is one God existing in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. God is the creator of ALL people. That’s exactly why Jesus never addresses physical appearance in the Bible. What you look like on the outside isn’t what counts. In Christianity, it is who you are inside, how you conduct yourself, and your personal relationship with Jesus that truly matters.
I sketched these two images of Jesus on different days without looking at the previous sketch. The theme is the same, prayer… note how they are the same and yet totally different. I used the same type of drawing paper, same Pigma pen, and same Prismacolor pencil.
If you are an artist, I highly recommend doing this exercise. Same thing, different days, don’t look at the previous sketch first. Your mood, the weather, what you had to eat, who you talked with, etc. can all play a part in where differences will arise.
FYI, my original post on social media of Jesus praying included this… It has been asked why Jesus would pray, if Jesus is God.
According to the Trinity, God is one Being in three distinct Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Jesus (the Son) prayed to God the Father, showing a real relationship and communication within the Godhead.
Jesus prayed because, in Christian doctrine, He was fully human as well as fully divine, meaning His human nature experienced real dependence on God the Father.
This sketch was done on 9″ wide x 12″ high paper.