White, white everywhere.

There is an America today that seems to have a view on the face of Jesus. Talking about what Jesus looks like can sometimes be a very sore topic in some circles. This brings up the question why? Why do people become offended when they do not agree with what Jesus looks like?

When people are religious there is a connection that means so much that when that connection is severed everything that that person believes in is shattered. Some conversations That I have with fellow Christians get very interesting when we start to talk about what Jesus looks like. Based on what I have read and the research I have done on what people in that region and time period I believe that Jesus, being a Jew, is very middle eastern. Whenever I tell the other person that they become very uneasy.

I always ask them why they felt uneasy about what I just said. Usually the response that I get is "I just never thought about that." I believe that they're reaction is completely justified. Speaking from experience, I grew up in a culture where the white face of Jesus was everywhere, and I believed that until I was about sixteen and I started to do some digging for myself. I was shocked as well, but it is all about the culture that I lived in.

White Jesus is the most massed produced image of Jesus that there is an and when people come to Christ and they form their relationship, it is sometimes with the white image of Christ as well. When they have such a bond with that image it is hard for any other idea to enter their mind. So when someone like myself comes along with an almost outlandish notion it can throw some people off. All of this is because this is the culture we grew up in. This white Jesus is the face, at least my generation, grew up with, and this is the face of Christ our faith has grabbed a hold of.