"Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me."
John 17:24
Among the few descriptions of Jesus Christ that have survived the centuries is one attributed to the governor of Judea, Publius Lentulus, who, in A.D. 32, wrote the following:
"There lives at this time in Judea a man of singular virtue, whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the barbarians esteem as a prophet....He is a tall man, well-shaped, and of amenable and reverent aspect; He has a hair of a color that can hardly be matched, falling into graceful curls, waving about and very agreeably couching about 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 read; his nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry; His beard of a color 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."
The question is Can we believe this description is authentic? As much as scholars would like to accept it as genuine, it is generally believed to have been brought to the Vatican about the ninth century at a period of time when religious relics were at their peak.
In the gospels, is a great deal of information about Christ, yet there is no actual description of what Jesus looked like. Why? Apparently God wanted us to realize that what Jesus did is far more important than what He looked like (see Phil. 2:5-11).
No artists' renditions of our Savior exist, but the world will never escape the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin, crucified and rose again. When all is said and done, what Jesus did will forever be more important than what He looked like (see Col. 1:12-22).
Source: Today can be Different by Dr. Harold J. Sala.
