Brown/Olive/Dark Skin Jesus! I Can't See It! Part ll

Look, there's Jesus!

Do you see a Caucasian man?

Some people say His skin color doesn't matter. Okay, If that's so, why should a picture of a dark skin Jesus stir up so much talk?

Do you grimmis and comment (in your mind or out loud- why is His skin color dark, or brown, or olive?) whenever you see an image of a dark skin Jesus? Uhm, I do not understand your reaction. So you're a scholar, educator, pastor, etc.; however, you dismiss the importance of helping other cultures or races to see themselves in the historical Jesus you teach about.

Please do the exercise again from Part I of this blog.

I have just said the name Jesus. You should visualize a person of color for a change or for the first time in your life.

Write and tell me about your experience with this exercise.

Brown/Olive/ Dark skin Jesus! I Can't Picture It? Part l

Most of the ways Jesus is depicted in pictures causes people of color to feel even more invisible.

I understand that people see Him as their own race, which is typically Caucasian, light complexion, blond hair, blue eyes.

I do not understand what is wrong with trying to put visuals in the worlds minds of a more Jewish looking Jesus. At least He could have an olive complexion and dark wavy or curly hair, which was the way scholars are sure most Jewish men looked in Jesus' day.

It sure is easy to say, "That's not important!" If you are one of those people who make comments like this, I have a question for you. Have you ever been considered unimportant simply because your skin color is brown or dark? Most brown or dark skin people have been through this. So, if you say, "Christ's skin color is not important," brown/dark skin people hear this, "Another time when someone is saying how the important figure could not have been any other color but white. And, I would listen to what you have to say before I decide to ignore you, if you were white."

I bet most people who initially visualize a more white skin Jesus probably think the crowds who listened to Him did so because he was not brown or dark skin. Not you you say!

For a change, visualize Him, Jesus, in a more Jewish likeness because brown-olive and dark complexion people were and still are great leaders, verbally articulate, and do/did speak to multitudes.

Try this mental exercise right now,

Okay, I just said the name Jesus, your visual image should be a person of color for a change- Did you do this? Good! Was that so bad? Write and tell me how the exercise effected you.