What Color is Jesus? ... By Kaitlin McCune

Some people may have never wondered this and some people may have been troubled by the question. James McBride shares in his essay, "What Color is Jesus?" and in his novel, "The Color of Water" about a time when his brother Richie was troubled by the fact that the books they used in Sunday school depicted Jesus as being white. He wondered why Jesus was not gray in the picture if He was not supposed to be white or black. There have been numerous guesses as to what Jesus actually looked like.

In 2002, Israeli and British anthropologists and computer programmers got together in order to construct an image of what they believed Jesus' phenotypic appearance would have looked like. Since there was little evidence about Jesus' appearance they based Him off of a typical man found during the time He would have lived in the Middle East. He is depicted as a smaller man, a little over 5 feet tall and weighing about 110 pounds, with a broad face, short curly hair, a bigger nose, and a dark olive skin tone (here's the link to see this depiction http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/12/25/face.jesus/). This portrayal is quite different than the popular Christian idea of what Jesus looks like. But is this scientifically produced phenotype the actual truth? Is it wrong for people to view Jesus differently?

One man by the name of David Learner shares how he has noticed that children of different races, if asked to draw Jesus, will draw Him like themselves. He found that this seems to be a natural response among children unless they have been taught differently. In my opinion, this makes a lot of sense. I believe that God has made everyone in His own image. I believe that he can be black or white or tan or olive because we are made in His likeness. But after reading James McBride's work I have become to think of Jesus in a somewhat different light.

When James asks his mother what color Jesus is, she tells Him that Jesus does not have a color because He is the color of water. Thinking about this makes my belief that Jesus can be like any of us even stronger. Obviously to Christians Jesus did have a phenotype since He was a person, but I personally prefer to think of Him in a more spiritual sense, rather than a physical sense since it is His spirit that connects me with Him. Being the color of water, or colorless, or clear actually, Jesus really can be any color He wants. In a way He's kind of like a chameleon I suppose, taking on the color of His surroundings. I think that if Jesus was clear and He stood in between a black person and myself, He would look black just like that person. Likewise if He were standing between me and a white person, He would look white, and I could go on to say the same for any race, or complexion. So I have come to the personal conclusion that Jesus does not have a color, yet He can be any color. I also find it amazing that there is an entire Book about God and Jesus, yet there is little evidence as to what He actually looked like. I believe that this is because appearances didn't matter to Him, and He made all of us as His children to look the way we are. He is the color of water, and for anyone who believes, He can be whatever color they choose to view Him as.