DESCRIBING JESUS

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Bible Thoughts and Questions:

“Does the Bible describe anywhere what the Lord Jesus Christ looked like?” Yes, it does and it is not in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament. The description of how He looked is described in detail in the greatest love story ever told, the love Christ has for His Church; the Song of Solomon.

((Song of Solomon 5:10-16 KJV; “My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. 11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. 13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. 14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. 15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”))

Now, while this is the only description of His physical appearance that is found in the Bible there is another description from history that has been dismissed by many “higher critics” as being a fake and not written by the recorded author, however, it is somewhat close to the description found in the Song of Solomon. I will include it here so you may read it and judge for yourself.

This is a reprinting of a translation of a letter from Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar describing the physical appearance of Jesus.

To Tiberius Caesar,

A young man appeared in Galilee preaching with humble unction, a new law in the Name of the God that had sent Him. At first I was apprehensive that His design was to stir up the people against the Romans, but my fears were soon dispelled. Jesus of Nazareth spoke rather as a friend of the Romans than of the Jews. One day I observed in the midst of a group of people a young man who was leaning against a tree, calmly addressing the multitude. I was told it was Jesus. This I could easily have suspected so great was the difference between Him and those who were listening to Him. His golden colored hair and beard gave to his appearance a celestial aspect. He appeared to be about 30 years of age. Never have I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance. What a contrast between Him and His bearers with their black beards and tawny complexions! Unwilling to interrupt Him by my presence, I continued my walk but signified to my secretary to join the group and listen. Later, my secretary reported that never had he seen in the works of all the philosophers anything that compared to the teachings of Jesus. He told me that Jesus was neither seditious nor rebellious, so we extended to Him our protection. He was at liberty to act, to speak, to assemble and to address the people. This unlimited freedom provoked the Jews -- not the poor but the rich and powerful.

Later, I wrote to Jesus requesting an interview with Him at the Praetorium. He came. When the Nazarene made His appearance I was having my morning walk and as I faced Him my feet seemed fastened with an iron hand to the marble pavement and I trembled in every limb as a guilty culprit, though he was calm. For some time I stood admiring this extraordinary Man. There was nothing in Him that was repelling, nor in His character, yet I felt awed in His presence. I told Him that there was a magnetic simplicity about Him and His personality that elevated Him far above the philosophers and teachers of His day.

Now, Noble Sovereign, these are the facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth and I have taken the time to write you in detail concerning these matters. I say that such a man who could convert water into wine, change death into life, disease into health; calm the stormy seas, is not guilty of any criminal offense and as others have said, we must agree -- truly this is the Son of God!

Your most obedient servant,

Pontius Pilate

It is really not unusual that the description of the Lord Jesus Christ is found in the Old Testament, for the entire book is about Him.

((Hebrews 10:-5-7 KJV; “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”)) and ((Psalms 40:6-8 KJV; Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”))

And in closing; the scripture that really sums it all up!

((John 1:1-5 KJV; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”))

GOT JUNK?

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Lately, I have been noticing temporary signage along the nearby four laned highways advertising what I might refer to as an interstate business. 

The name of the company is part and parcel of the phone number

                                      1-800-Got Junk

Their one and only raison d'etre to pick up unwanted trash, rubbish, and junk from homes and businesses.

As I was pedaling my daily 10 miles yesterday, I turned down a little seldom-used lane which runs behind the local Dollar General store, and which connects with a nearby street. And, I have often noticed how deplorable the property is. Old sofas, toilet bowls, aluminum cans, circulars and newspapers, etc.

Reaching the end of the lane, and the intersection of the connecting street, I did a 180, and pedaled back towards Dollar General, and the sidewalk beyond. Suddenly, a truck with a very familiar moniker on its side came up behind me. (1-800-Got Junk)

And just before reaching the posterior wall of Dollar General, the truck stopped, and backed in. Suddenly, two men jumped out of the vehicle, and proceeded towards its rear door.

And it occurred to me that the Got Junk men were about to deposit their junk on, in, and about the existing rubbish in the area. And while I am not the boldest, nor most outspoken person in central Florida, I could not help but ask one of the men,

"Are you planning to dump your junk out here?"

And I followed up with a statement.

"Because if you do, I know someone who is going to report you."

The worker merely shook his head, and immediately denied this was their plan.

As you might expect, I was skeptical of his assurance, and made a decision to drive back to the spot, after I pedaled the final five miles of my daily trek.

Arriving home, I went inside, made and devoured a sandwich, downed half a Pepsi, watched my favorite news channel for ten or fifteen minutes, jumped into my car, and headed back from whence I had come.

As I drove in front of the store, and turned the corner, I noticed the Got Junk vehicle was still there. And with this, all my presuppositions vanished.

One man was on top of the open roof of the cargo truck, and another stood on the metal lift behind the back door, a bedraggled red couch between them, as they man-handled it into place.

They were loading the truck, not unloading it!

I immediately felt ashamed for accusing them of being commercial litter bugs. 

I felt an obligation to make things right, and I slowed to a stop. Directing my attention to the youngest man, I spoke.

"I'm the guy who pedaled past you guys earlier, and asked if you were dumping your junk in this field."

(and)

"But, I see you are picking up the junk. 

(and)

Please forgive me."

The man nodded slightly, and I turned my automobile towards home.

I promised myself that if, and when possible, I would surrender my useless presuppositions, and believe the best about friends and strangers, alike, 'til I had a valid reason to do otherwise.

by Bill McDonald, PhD

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. WHAT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN

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Pt. 1

Recently, I attended a lecture by a survivor of the Holocaust who, as a child, experienced the most horrific of circumstances. My uncle also experienced the monstrosity visited upon the Jewish race, firsthand, as near the end of WWII his Army unit marched into one of Germany’s concentration camps. Having witnessed the most unspeakable horrors, he never spoke about what he saw there.

Of course, one man was, ultimately, responsible for the advent of the Second World War, the deaths of countless soldiers, sailors and marines, untold civilians, and the murder of six million Jews.

Adolf Hitler

However, before issuing the executive order which led to the deaths of millions of innocent men, women and children, almost single-handedly destroying the Western world as we know it, Adolf Hitler was an “up and coming,” (albeit unsuccessful) artist.

Subsequent to his service in the German Army during WWI, “the little corporal” completed numerous murals which had as their subject buildings, monuments, and landscapes. And while some amateur and professional art critics have, well, criticized his artistic ability, from my perspective some of his paintings were quite good.

Between the two World Wars, and before the artist wannabe gave a moment’s thought to ruling one of the major nations of the world, and subjecting others to his domination, Adolph Hitler had dreamed a different dream.

Pt. 2

And to his credit, the non-descript little man was not only a dreamer, but a doer; since he not only managed to transfer his colorful visions to canvas, but he made application for acceptance to The Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

Twice

And was turned down as many times as he applied.

It is ironic that as the unrelenting, demonic dictator of the Third Reich the great architecture and pastoral villages he painted were, ultimately, destroyed by his actions.

Among Adolph’s artworks are some paintings which provide an almost prophetic look into the as yet to be fulfilled future of the most evil and dictatorial individual in the history of the world. For among the colorful landscapes are also images of WWI tanks; littering a barren landscape, and smoke rising from their turrets.

I have often reflected on that momentous decision which denied Adolf Hitler the opportunity to undertake a course of action which might have, literally, changed the course of human history, and whomever was responsible for that singular decision.

I have wondered whether the man who denied the future dictator, and warlord the opportunity to fulfill his artistic dream, having experienced the abject awfulness which the little despot visited on this planet, regretted having rejected his prospective student. A man who unknowingly, unwittingly exercised more power than Hitler ever realized in his lifetime; who with one stroke of a pen, a few words on a rejection letter, doomed millions of hapless victims to certain death.

Adolf Hitler. Renowned artist.

The saddest words in any language.

…What might have been. What might not have been.

by Bill McDonald, PhD 

A MOMENTARY MEETING ON AN ELEVATOR IN SCOTLAND

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My wife and I enjoyed the vacation of a lifetime last year. We had often wanted to visit Scotland and Ireland, and were determined to do so by our 70th birthdays. And true to our intentions, we just managed to do so 'by a whisker.'

 

Our hotel in Glasgow, Scotland stood on the banks of the Clyde River, (or River Clyde, as they are prone to refer to it 'over there'). We were just fifty feet from a beautiful bridge which spanned the river, a hundred yards from the convention center in which the now world famous Susan Boyle was awarded second place in "Britain's Got Talent," and an ancient overhead ship-building crane, for which the wonderful city is known, was just seconds away from the front door of the hotel.

 

On our second day in Glasgow, I boarded an elevator to take me up to our room on the third floor. And it so happened that a middle-aged, fairly non-descript man stepped on the elevator with me. I must have greeted him with a, "How are you." And recognizing my accent he said, "Are you an American?" And I evidently responded in the affirmative. (I could not be sure, and I did not ask, but based on the stranger's own peculiar accent, I surmised he was probably a native of this country).

 

As the elevator moved quickly towards my third floor destination, referring to the First and Second World Wars, my short-term acquaintance mused,

 

"Ah, we are so grateful for what your great country did for us; coming over here to help us" (and) "those dear, dear American lads. How we love and appreciate them even today."

 

And with this the elevator reached its destination, the doors opened, I nodded, and stepped off.

 

It was just a momentary, circumstantial sort of thing, lasting all of thirty seconds, and yet I will remember my brief interaction with this fine gentleman; as long as I live, and move, and breathe on the earth.

 

by William McDonald, PhD

THE WEAVER'S TAPESTRY

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The tapestry He weaves in me is twined in many hues

The pattern of the thread He works is not mine to choose

And though too close to focus on the weaving that He sees

And too far from His purposes to see His plan for me

 

The constant shuffle of the loom, the heavy threads now fall in place

And in the shadows that they cast, I sometimes fail to see His face

But when the finer thread is laid, and drifts across the airy span

Tis then the light comes gleaming through, tis then I see the Weaver’s Hand

 

His weaving grows with each new joy, each trial adds still more  thread

The colors of the rainbow blend with each new hope and dread

The loom slides on with ceaseless speed, each thread drops in its place

The fringes of this cloth are sewn with silk and pretty lace

 

The Weaver’s Hand is sure and tried, and nail scars grace His palm

And as He works His work in me, my soul knows peace and calm

The cloth He works is precious, and, the loom He works is sure

The tapestry He weaves in me is rich and very pure

 

And though the darker colors shade -the few, but brighter threads beside

I know He works all things for good, His colors true, His pattern tried

And when the Master’s Hand is still, and the cloth of life is spun

Tis then His image shall appear, His tapestry is done

by Bill McDonald, PhD

Copyright 2005

WILL YOU ALSO GO AWAY?

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A good example is found in John 6:32-69 in which Jesus shares a very hard teaching about His body and His blood as typified in the communion service. Many of His followers took this teaching literally and fell away from Him. I have always thought that Christ' poignant question to His disciples, "Will you also go away" was the most human of the God-man's heart-rending interactions recounted in the New Testament.

COOPERATING WITH GOD

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I once installed some border paper around the ceiling of my office. The image on the paper was taken directly from the Sistine Chapel in Rome. God and Adam reaching out to one another, and almost touching fingertips. Of course, Adam was wearing little more than his birthday suit, (and thus the illustration on the border paper had been slightly ‘amended’ to guarantee our ancestor a bit of privacy).

And as the years dropped like sand in an hour glass, and as literally thousands of our counseling clients would file in and out of the door with a myriad of issues and needs, I would often look up at that ceiling border which depicted God and ole Adam multiplied a couple dozen times over, and I’d muse,

“If I were to characterize that painting, I’d call it, “Cooperating with God.”

And sometime afterwards, I recognized the same concept in the pages of scripture.

I have never heard a sermon on the subject; (except the one I have preached a couple of times). But you’ll definitely find it there “in all its glory.”

For you see, in virtually every chapter of the Bible, the concept is replicated. For again and again, we find God and man mentioned in the exact same verse.

Pt. 2

For example,

“And there went with Saul a band of men whose heart God had touched.” (1^st Samuel 10:26)

(or)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

(or)

“I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.” (Romans 12:1)

(or)

“Faithful is He who has called you, and He will also do it.” (1^st Thess. 5:24)

I understand the current pastor at my previous church uses the room as his office, and I have often wondered whether that ceiling border still graces the place. (Interestingly enough, I ran across a three foot remnant of that paper when I was rearranging my home office a couple years ago).

I think that ancient painting by Michelangelo has a great deal to teach us about God’s relationship with man, and even more crucially, I believe the recurring presence of God and mankind in a myriad of scriptural verses speaks volumes about His love for you and me, and His earnest desire that we cooperate with Him in our pursuit of excellence, and the fulfillment of His plans on the earth.

by Bill McDonald, PhD