Upside Down and Inside Out

It is interesting to note that Scripture offers not the slightest evidence to support any speculation about Christ’s physical appearance. We don’t know what Jesus looked like. We don’t know whether He was tall or short, thin or stout, or the way He walked. The Gospel writers did not portray Him as being five-feet-six or six-feet-five or “exactly six-feet-tall,” as one legend has it. We don’t know with certainty whether He was light-skinned or dark-skinned, large-boned or small-boned, muscular or frail. We don’t know the color of His hair or the color of his eyes. Clearly, the Gospel writers considered the matter of His physical appearance of no real importance.

But when we turn to Jesus’ emotional side, we have a much clearer picture. It is clear, from the Gospels, that Jesus put on no air of unflappability. He expressed His feelings, and often vigorously. He was angry with Satan’s persistent temptation. He was apprehensive lest His miracles be reported to the authorities. He…