A friend recently tried to encourage me to watch a
heavily-advertised "epic miniseries" on the Bible being aired on the
History Channel. My first question was about the physical appearance of the characters.
Predictably they were all of European descent.
It is common sense that people living in the lands where
most of the biblical narrative took place were not white. If you would be
astounded to meet someone from those regions today with blond hair and blue
eyes. However, the very well-regarded seminary I attended likewise promoted
European images of them. When I raised the question (y’all know I did, just
like Buggin’ Out),
they typical response was “it doesn’t matter what color they were.” The
unspoken remainder of that sentiment was “as long as they are white.”
Some might ask, why it matters. Well, first for the sake of
academic integrity. If you lie to me about one thing, I can’t trust much else
you say. Secondly, it matters because of institutionalized racism and its
prevalence in the church.
I happen to attend one of the longest-standing historically
black churches in Washington, DC. It was founded during the ante-bellum period
to accommodate blacks who did not want to be treated in a discriminatory manner
in a nearby Methodist Episcopal Church. Their white benefactors even provided
assistance in building a new sanctuary. Needless to say, there are white images
of a man they would like you to think was Jesus in several places around the
building. As a matter of fact, there is a stained glass window facing the
pulpit with such a depiction that is approximately 40 feet tall. I find it
disconcerting, but consistent with the imperialistic mission of the organization.
This brings me to the point of spiritual integrity. The Second
Commandment states:
Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing
mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments (Exodus
20:4-6).
The last I checked, Jesus was enthroned
at the right hand of the Father. There should be no physical depictions of him
anywhere, especially not in a Christian house of worship or inserted into the
pages of bibles. Now, they must choose, is Jesus in heaven and off-limits for
photo-ops or will they blatantly disregard God’s law?
I’ve heard the lame excuse that
some people are visual learners and need images to help them grasp biblical
truths. Well, it is a lie that Jesus is white. If you want them to grasp the
truth, at least depict him correctly. One of my best friends is a United
Methodist minister from Angola in SW Africa. I asked him what color Jesus would
be in the picture on the wall of his church back home. He looked at me
sheepishly and said “you know.” It seems missionaries push “Jesus is white”
harder than they proclaim “Jesus is Lord.”
This also came up during a study
of Song of Songs” using a study guide from said denomination’s publishing
house. One of the narrators describes herself by saying I am black, but comely (1:5). The commentator could not grasp in
the notes how being black was not a complaint. The narrator was stating
matter-of-factly that she her complexion was darkened from prolonged exposure
to the sun, but affirm her attractiveness. Leave it to me to expose the racist
context in which the interpretation is taking place and the imperialistic regime
it supports. It was a shock to some, but still a wake-up call to engage their
all materials critically.
Sadly, these conversations are not
welcome in the church. The strongest commentary I have seen on the subject were
on episodes of The
Boondocks and from stand-up
comedians. Ironically, some black folks will strike you dead if you try to
take away their white Jesus. However, an ignoramus of a black preacher once
told me Jesus was African-American. I won’t dignify that with a response.
The bottom line is that Jesus was
a real, historical figure that did not look like Michelangelo’s effeminate brother-in-law.
Most of the images we have had imposed on our consciousness were produced
during a historical era when the African slave trade was being rationalized by Europeans commissioning them. His ethnicity and
appearance are not open to our social constructs.
There were many controversies
concerning Jesus in the early church, but none of them focused on his race. We
should likewise focus on his transcendent spirit and the power it gives us to
overcome the world. If he wanted to leave a physical depiction of how he
looked, he could have done that.
