"I don't think He had long hair," we said to the men. They weren't so sure about that.
"I think he was black," one man suggested -- a Caucasian man at that.
"He was Jewish," another man said.
So what really is Jesus's background? The Bible offers some hints....
From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle how, from him every ruler. - Zechariah 10:4
This verse of prophecy makes several analogies which can be tough to understand. Perhaps the easiest one involves the "cornerstone."
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.... with Christ Jesus himself as he chief cornerstone. - Ephesians 2:19-20
Jesus is called the "cornerstone" of what should be a "holy temple in the Lord," God's family (verse 21). And Zechariah notes that cornerstone came from Judah - which would make Jesus a Jew.
For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. - Hebrews 7:14
Jewish, yes - but what about Jesus being black? The news of the last 24 hours in the U.S. reminds us that race and skin color are still touchy, emotional topics for many people. But for us, the Biblical evidence when it comes to Jesus seems murky.
Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tens of Kedar.... Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun... - Song of Solomon 1:5,6
Is this poetic language describing Jesus Christ? Some Bible experts see it that way, since the Middle East tends to be a place with strong sunshine. Yet others say this is talking about a woman instead of a man, based on verse 2 - so if anything, the "darkness" refers to the church Jesus will marry at His return (Revelation 21:9).
Yet the Bible also shows this about Jesus:
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. - Revelation 1:14
We're not going to claim to know the "final answer" on this. We'd direct you to a study paper we reviewed in the 1990s which gave us a lot of insight. But in the final analysis, we'd ask a ridiculously simple-sounding question: Does it matter?
Poker success seems to know no skin color; consider the Europeans who win WSOP bracelets and Phil Ivey's strong record. Nor should our acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12
The Bible gives no exceptions to this - not based on skin color, national origin or ethnic heritage. Can you accept Jesus, no matter how He appears? You'd better. Your eternal life depends on it.
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