What Did Jesus Look Like?

Perhaps you remember a classmate in elementary school, you know, the awkward one; the one that everyone seemed to pick on. Maybe at a time you pitied him because of the abuse he was subjected to. Maybe at other times you might have even joined in, getting a laugh at his expense. This person was not very popular. You probably didn't even make eye contact with him when passing him in the hallway or on the playground.  When you did see him for the first time, there was nothing about him that would have made you remember him, if you even noticed him.  The one thing you did notice was that when in class, he never raised his hand, but when he was called upon, he always had the right answer. 

Our image of Jesus has been influenced by art and Hollywood.  We can get a hint of what Jesus looked like from Isaiah:

He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; He had no majestic bearing to catch our eye, no beauty to draw us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, Like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. (Isaiah 53:2-3).

Isaiah seems to tell us that Jesus looked quite ordinary.  Maybe some even found Him unattractive.  He had to speak for people to be attracted to him.  With a less than attractive demeanor about Him, no one was running to see him because of his good looks.

Isn't this the genius of God?  He doesn't want anyone attracted to His son because of his looks, just as Jesus did not one anyone to believe in Him strictly because of His miracles. God wants people to be attracted to Jesus because of His words - the Word of God.  It all lines up with the role of Servant of Servants.

And by the way, I would guess that Jesus looked just like his Mother - no majestic bearing to catch our eye, no beauty to draw us to [her].