THE  FACE  OF  CHRIST

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Nobody knows what the Lord Jesus really looked like.  The Roman Catholic Church produces such relics as the Shroud of Turin and the napkin of St Veronica … not to mention the portrait of our Lord “not painted by human hands” (!) at the top of the Holy Staircase in Rome.

 

The Scriptures give us a prophetic picture of Christ in Revelation 1:12-18, and many a preacher has delighted to use the description of the Lover, “the chiefest among ten thousand” in Song of Solomon 5:10-16 to describe Him :

 

My lover is handsome and strong;

He is one in ten thousand.

His face is bronzed and smooth;

His hair is wavy,

black as a raven.

His eyes are as beautiful as doves

 by a flowing brook,

doves washed in milk and standing

          by the stream.

His cheeks are as lovely as a garden

that is full of herbs and spices.

His lips are like lilies,

          wet with liquid myrrh.

 

We do know that He wore a beard from the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 50:6, whilst Isaiah 53:2 may mean that His appearance was like that of any other Jewish carpenter. 

 

The oldest surviving likeness of the Lord Jesus is found in a mosaic, discovered in the catacombs and now in the Vatican Museum.  But this dates from the 4th century.  However, the New Testament does reveal certain things concerning the Face of Christ.

 

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1.       A STEADFAST FACE … Luke 9:51

 

“And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”

 

Nothing could swerve Him from the purpose for which He came … “to seek and to save the lost.”  He delighted to do the Father’s will … even though it meant the cross (Hebrews 10:1-7).

 

Isaiah foretold how the Messiah would “set His face like a flint” during His earthly pilgrimage.

 

While all the world sought gain, or thrust for place,

Thou steadfastly Cross-ward set Thy face.

                                                                             - D. Russell.

 

2.       A SUFFERING FACE … Matthew 26:63-67

 

“Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, ‘He hath spoken blasphemy;  what further need have we of witnesses?  Behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy.  What think ye?’   They answered and said, ‘He is guilty of death.’  Then did they spit in His face.”

 

Here we see the Lord Jesus before the Sanhedrin … mocked and spat upon.  Isaiah 50:6 had predicted this awful scene.

 

And whilst we may shudder at the thought of this happening to the Lord of Glory, we do well to remember that it was our sins that took Him to the cross.  There is a sense in which we are just as guilty as those who treated Him so cruelly.

 

“He was disfigured that we might be delivered”  (V. Havner).

 

The awful sorrow of His face,                       But He sees the souls for whom He died

The bowing of His frame,                             still clinging to their sin,

Come not from torture nor disgrace,           And heirs of mansions in the skies

He fears not cross nor shame.                    who will not enter in.

                                                                                                - Anon.

 

3.       A SHINING FACE … Matthew 17:2)

 

“As they looked on, a change came over Jesus:  His face was shining like the sun, and His clothes were dazzling white.”

 

On the Mount of Transfiguration Peter, James and John saw something of the Glory of Deity upon the face of the Saviour. 

 

Peter refers to this unforgettable moment thirty years later… “we were eye-witnesses of His majesty…” (II Peter 1:16-18). 

 

John likewise testifies “we beheld His glory…” (John 1:14).  Again, in Revelation, John depicts the shining of our Lord’s face as He walks among the churches in His risen splendour (Revelation 1:16) :

 

“I turned round to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold belt round his chest.  His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire;  his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall.  He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun.  When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man.  He placed his right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid!  I am the first and the last.”

 

The head that once was crowned with thorns

is crowned with glory now;

A royal diadem adorns

The mighty Victor’s brow.

                                                                                      - T. Kelly.

 

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CONCLUSION

 

And one day those who know Him as Saviour and Lord will see Him – face to face!

 

Face to face I shall behold Him,

Far beyond the starry sky;

Face to face, in all His glory

I shall see Him by and by!

                                                                                      - C. Breck.

 

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