Why is Jesus portrayed as White?

[redleghunter]

In the book/movie "Heaven is for Real." Colton Burpo a 4 year old boy, in Nebraska, had a near death experience [NDE], in a hospital ER, where he said he met Jesus. His father showed him the traditional pictures of Jesus but he said that is not what Jesus looks like. One day Colton's father was researching similar NDE online and found a painting by Akiane a teen age girl on the east coast. Colton saw the picture and said that's Jesus. Colton and Alkiane had never had any contact. Here is that picture.View attachment 224229

Wow, I guess all those movies which casted Bruce Marchiano as Jesus came close:

Bruce Marchiano - IMDb

 

[Der Alte]

Wow, I guess all those movies which casted Bruce Marchiano as Jesus came close:

Bruce Marchiano - IMDb

View attachment 224230 View attachment 224231

The Akiane painting looks a lot like the music director of my previous church.

 

[1213]

Jesus was a brown man from Middle East. Why then is he portrayed as a white man worldwide?

I don’t think we can really know the color of the skin of Jesus. But if he was really brown, he obviously was so bright, that he looked like white. Similarly, as I think it was said about Larry Bird, he was so bright that he looked like white.

I think the color is not important, the words that Jesus declared are.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
John 6:63

Truly, truly I tell you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death at all.”
John. 8:51

 

[Archivist]

Not everyone in the Middle East is brown. Muhammad was white, too. Here's one of his grandsons:

Given that Muhammad died in 632, I highly doubt that any of his grandsons ever used a microphone.

 

[jovanovic]

I don’t think we can really know the color of the skin of Jesus. But if he was really brown, he obviously was so bright, that he looked like white. Similarly, as I think it was said about Larry Bird, he was so bright that he looked like white.

I think the color is not important, the words that Jesus declared are.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
John 6:63

Truly, truly I tell you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death at all.”
John. 8:51

Larry bird was not white?

 

[Christian_Follower]

I don't want this to be a downer on the party but why does it matter what He looks like??? As much as I believe in visions and dream, I don't take people's depictions of our Christ as anything but their own...

We have some examples from the OT about Him... #1 He was not a sight to look at... (For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2)

Anyway... just throwing that out there... God Bless

 

[Marvin Knox]

In the book/movie "Heaven is for Real." Colton Burpo a 4 year old boy, in Nebraska, had a near death experience [NDE], in a hospital ER, where he said he met Jesus. His father showed him the traditional pictures of Jesus but he said that is not what Jesus looks like. One day Colton's father was researching similar NDE online and found a painting by Akiane a teen age girl on the east coast. Colton saw the picture and said that's Jesus. Colton and Alkiane had never had any contact. Here is that picture.View attachment 224229

If you believe all the hooeee Burpo pedals you also believe Jesus rides a rainbow colored horse and the angel Gabriel sits at the side of God on His throne.

If you believe the painting by Akiane was done after seeing Jesus in a vision from God you have to believe any other new age tripe she pedals. If Burpo buys into her thing - he certainly lacks wisdom considering he spent time with God.

Why is it that these folks who are sent back by God to tell us all about it don't seem to present the need to believe the gospel to be saved from judgment to come. Nor - for that matter - do most even mention the judgment to come.

Just relax and cross over. Jesus will meet you in a white light with a big hug and all will be well for everyone on earth when they end this life in the flesh.

"NOT"

Just sayin!

 

[Chesterton]

Given that Muhammad died in 632, I highly doubt that any of his grandsons ever used a microphone.

I just didn't want to type out "great, great, great, great...grandson".

 

[GUANO]

C'mon everyone knows that Jesus was Italian.

 

[timewerx]

View attachment 224201

Curious rendering of Christ. Strong, "ridgey" forehead like a Klingon!

Not making fun of the picture for the fact, I have a "ridgey" forehead too.

 

[NW82]

The skin color of Christ is irrelevant. By His own teaching we are love everyone regardless. People get way too wrapped up in "race" or skin color. To quote Morgan Freeman, in his response to the question of how to stop racism, "stop talking about it". Either you are in the faith and show the fruits of the Spirit or you don't, what your skin color is doesn't matter. To answer the OP's question though, if you consider that Roman Catholicism was in main stream Europe for well over a millenia and the majority of Europeans were "white" then is logically follows their depictions of Christ would be of their own culture. This doesn't mean their depictions are correct, but as I explained above it doesn't really matter.

 

[Archivist]

I just didn't want to type out "great, great, great, great...grandson".

I understand what you mean but descendant might have been the better term.

 

[JoeP222w]

Artist's impression have little to no impact on who Jesus is, and can largely be ignored.

 

[Hieronymus]

Jesus was a brown man from Middle East. Why then is he portrayed as a white man worldwide? A typical picture of Jesus looks like this:

Yeah, that's "ascended master Lord Jesus"
There a lot wrong with this picture.

Jesus in fact looked more like this:

...maybe... I imagine Him looking less caveman like, personally.
But it would seem obvious Yeshua looks like a Judean, not a North Western European.

 

[TuxAme]

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
John 6:63

Jesus isn't speaking of skin here, though. That's not what the phrase "the flesh" means.

 

[t-wings]

My family uses the "white Jesus", It's just the most wide spread image. However they also have "black angels" around their houses.

 

[Yarddog]

Jesus was a brown man from Middle East. Why then is he portrayed as a white man worldwide? A typical picture of Jesus looks like this:

Jesus in fact looked more like this:

Though he definitely wasn't white, as many paintings depict him, many ancient icons vary in the deepest of his skin color.
6 of the Oldest Images of Our Lord Jesus Christ | ChurchPOP

 

[jovanovic]

My family uses the "white Jesus", It's just the most wide spread image. However they also have "black angels" around their houses.

Tell them to start using black jesus .

 

[redleghunter]

Given that Muhammad died in 632, I highly doubt that any of his grandsons ever used a microphone.

You mean the Hidden Imam Mahdi did not have Radio Shack back in the day?

 

[t-wings]

Tell them to start using black jesus .

I dont think it really matters, white one should be fine as well