Do We Really Know Our Elder Brother?

Would We Recognize Him if We Met Him Today?

All through Scripture we are admonished to emulate the nature of our elder brother Jesus Christ. Note the following:

“Have his mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5).

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just I have done to you” (John 13:15).

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps” (I Peter 2:21).

“… whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked (I John 2:6).

We as Christians are clearly to emulate the life of Jesus Christ in our own personal lives, and we know that by following Him we are doing the will of the Father (John 4:34; 6:38; 14:9). Yet, it is possible to emulate that perfect life we do not really know what He is like, not just today at the Father’s right hand but also He was when He walked among us as a man 2,000 years ago? “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Here is what various religious groups teach about Jesus.

1. The Roman Catholic Church. According to John Schroeder in Heresies of Catholicism … the Apostate Church (iUniverse, Inc., Lincoln, Nebraska, 2003),

“Rome’s Jesus is not the sweet compassionate Jesus who told His Apostles, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 19:14). Nor is He the Jesus who said to the woman taken in adultery, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more’ (John 8:11). Rome’s Jesus is unapproachable and aloof. To move Him requires prayers to His earthly mother Mary or some other ‘saint’ who has the Lord’s ear. This, in opposition to what our Lord Himself said, “If you shall ask any thing in My name I will do it’ (John 14:14). Alfonso Liquori went so far as to say that if Jesus rejected him he would go immediately to Mary and she would assure his salvation.”

Likewise, Jesus is viewed as “… the invisible and unapproachable Deity …” by Catholics, as stated by Hannah Adams in A View of Religions (W. Button and Son, London, 1805).

2. Some evangelicals. When outlining the character of God, or Jesus Christ, as being invincible, immortal, and invisible, Eric Redmond in The Unapproachable God (www.christianity.com/god/the-unapproachable-god) stated that He is indeed unapproachable

“It is difficult for us to think of light that is unapproachable, let alone of a God from whom unapproachability radiates …. But God dwells in a unapproachable light because He is unapproachable. So any concept we have of worship – of approaching God – must factor in that God declares that he is not approachable. You cannot just burst into a room where God is and say, ‘Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt, but…”

3. Judaism. Jews, of course, do not believe that Jesus was (is) the Son of God, the Messiah prophesied throughout the Old Testament. According to Rebbi Shraga Simmons (www.aish.com), Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah because …

a. Jesus did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies

b. Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah

c. Bible verses referring to Jesus are mistranslations.

d. Jewish belief is based on national revelation

Further, Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) states that …

“Judaism has never accepted any of the claimed fulfillments of prophecy that Christianity attributes to Jesus. Judaism also forbids the worship of a person as a form of idolatry, since the central belief of Judaism is the absolute unity and singularity of God. Jewish eschatology holds that the coming of the Messiah will be associated with a specific series of events that have nit yet occurred, including the return of Jews to their homeland and the rebuilding of the Temple, a Messianic Age of peace and understanding during which ‘the knowledge of God’ fills the earth, and since Jews believe that none of these events occurred during the lifetime of Jesus (nor have they occurred afterwards), he is not a candidate for messiah.”

It is no wonder that, with these divergent views of who Jesus really is, today’s conceptions of His nature and appearance are oftentimes wildly off the mark. Let us take a closer look in a Scriptural and certain secular records to ascertain just who this person was, who is, and who forever shall be.

What Jesus Looked Like As a Human

Jesus was born of Mary, a descendant of teh tribe of Judah whose origins were with Adam, the son of God (Luke 3:38). There is some controversy which genealogy referred to which of Jesus’ parents as given in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, but it is clear that Mary’s genetics were derived from Adam, whose being was in the spirit realm before He became flesh.

Scripture and other sources reveal certain things about Jesus’ appearance.

He has no comely, beautiful appearance (Isaiah 53:2).
As a dependent of Judah his heritage would be similar that of David, whose face was “ruddy” (admoniy, “reddish”) and whose eyes were “bright” (yapeh, “beautiful, fair, lovely”), and presumably blue to go along with his fair skin color.
Jesus was the Kinsman Redeemer of the people of Israel, and such has to be of the same blood line of Israel (Jacob). There is much evidence that hate line of Jacob was of a light skin complexion, for instance as indicated by Sarah, Abraham’s wife, being “very beautiful” (yapeh, “fair, lovely”; Genesis 12:14), as was Rebekah Isaac’s wife, who came from the same genetic pool in Ur (Genesis 24:16; 26:7), and as Rachel, Jacob’s wife (Genesis 29:17). The very meaning of the name Laban, Rachel and Leah’s father, is white (laben, “white”), which likely meant that his hair was also white: consequently, his eyes would be blue. These patriarchs could trace their linage back through Noah to Adam, and Adam as a man is directly related to the verb atom, meaning “to be red:, and therefore probably relates to the original ruddiness of human skin (see John R. Kollenberger, III, The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2001).
The Archko Volume (translated by McIntosh and Twyman, Keats Publishing, Inc. New Canaan, Connecticut, 1975), which contains translations of documents kept at the Vatican Library in Rome, describes that Jesus looks like. The teacher Gamaliel was sent by the Sandedrin to interrogate Joseph, and saw that Jesus whom he described as follows:

“His hair is a little more golden than hers [Mary, his mother], though it is as much from sunburn as anything else …. His eyes are large and soft blue, his eyebrows very large.”

Valleus Paterculus, a Roman historian, at one point interviewed Jesus and, in a report, stated,

“One day in passing by the place e of Siloe, where there was a great concourse of people, I observed in the midst of the group a young man who was leaning against a tree, calmly addressing the multitude. I was told it was Jesus ….. His golden-colored hair and beard gave his appearance a celestial aspect…..

5. He has close-cropped hair. “Dose not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him?” (I Corithians 11:14).

Thus, we have Jesus Christ appearing as a light, golden-haired, bearded young man living white ruddy skin and blue eyes. This description parallels what that of many Europeans, whose roots lead back to Israel. For proofs of this Connecticut ion see books by Steven Collins, whose research has drawn the connection between accent has drawn the connection between ancient Israel and the modern Anglo-Saxon peoples. I have personally witnessed decesndents of Judite families who emigrated from Spain to Central and South America, and have retained their original genetic character by refusing to intermarry with outsiders. Those I have seen during my travels have bright red hair, blue eyes, and ruddy complexions. Recall that Mary, Jesus’ genetic mother, came from the tribe of Judah.

What Jesus Looks Like As a Spirit

Many scriptural scores tell us what Jesus Christ looks like in His glorified form.

His feel were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace (Revelation 1:15)
His eyes were like a flame of fire
His face shone as the sun in full strength (Revelation 1:16; Matthew 17:2)
His voice was like the sound of many waters or of a multitude (Revelation 1:15; Daniel 5:6)
His clothes radiated white light (Matthew 27:2 28:3/ Daniel 7:9)
His hair was white as wool or snow (Revelation 1:14; Daniel 7:9).
a golden sash surrounded His chest (Revelation 1:13)
On His head were many crowns (Revelation 19:12)
His appearance was like lightning (Matthew 28:3; Daniel 10:6), and like bronze (*Ezekiel 40:3; Daniel 10:6), or beryl (Daniel 10:6)
He wore a belt of gold (Daniel 10:5)

This appearance as a spirit, revealed in Scripture, is awesome beyond our imaginations! Yet, this is apparently what He looked like as a spirit before He divested Himself of divinity and became a flesh and blood human being, to live among us here on the earth (John 17:5). Recall that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

The Character of Jesus Christ

While there is value in knowing the appearance of Jesus — truth in all things is important — of much greater value is the understanding of His character … the way He thinks, acts, and speaks. Let us take a close look at that character as revealed in the World of God, and see what an awesomely great person He was … and is today.

recall that once one sees the character of Jesus, one looks into the vary nature of our Heavenly Father (John 14:9). To see is to see the other.

From the very beginning God has an awesomely wonderful nature. Far from what some consider to be a harsh, dictorial, revengeful Being of the Old Testament, the true God of accent times was a kind, gentle, and loving as well was Jesus Christ on earth. In fact, in many instances Jesus Christ was that some Elohim of the Old Testament (I Corinthians 10:4; Psalm 45:7; Hebrews 1:9-10; John 1:1, 14).

“… and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn into the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repents of evil” (Joel 2:13).

“And the Lord passed by before him, proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in a goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6).

“The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgession, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generations” (Numbers 14:18).

“For if you turn again into the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall cone again into this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face is you return unto Him” (II Chronicles 30:9).

“… but You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsake them not” (Nehemiah 9:17).

“But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15).

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:3).

Viewing these indications of God’s graciousness, kindness, patience, mercy, willingness to forgive, and lovingkindness, in the Old Testament, it is no wonder that Jesus Christ reflected these very traits of character when He lived on earth, he made them manifest through His fulfilling the entire Law inits most minute intent and details. As we read in Matthew 5:17-19,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of the commandment and teaches others to do the same will be called lease in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever dose them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

The Old Testament nature of Jesus Christ of no different than the New Testament nature, for we are looking at the same being, who dose not change. The cardinal dictates pf the Decalogue are eternal and immutable!

Not only that, but as Jesus Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection and the example the elect are to follow (I John 2:6; I Peter 2:21; John 13:15), then it makes sense that Jesus and the apostles and disciples would teach the ecclesia to follow these very same ways. Note Paul’s instruction in Galatians 5:22-23:

“But the suit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: against such things there is no law.”

These are he same constructs of character emphasized by the writers of the Old Testament. All of these spiritual traits emanate from the very posse of the spirit of God placed within those called out of this world by God the Father:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10).

Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are clothed with total humility, never proud whatsoever about the fact they own everything that exists (Haggai 2:8; Psalm 24:1; I Corithians 10:26, 28) … whereas humans tent to become lifted up when enriched in physical possessions, not knowing that the only way to retain and rightly prosper with physical things is to first commit to humility and total service to one’s Greater. For this reason Yahweh declared,

“But this os the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).

“The Lord is near unto them that be of a broken heart, and saves such as has a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

While possessing all that is, and then creating countless people who will become sons of Elohim to share in that ownership and use of all things (Romas 8:32), this incredibly selfless act reveals just who He is and what love and selflessness really mean. While Elohim has freely given the saints all things to share in a future inheritance, He at the same time exhibits total humility by not placing Himself above His own created being, whom He made in His own image! (Notice Philippians 2:1-5.

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit, Andy affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only on his own interest, but also to the interests of others. Have his ming among yourselves, which is yours in Jesus Christ… “

Here we see Jesus Christ considering the brethren to be more specific than Himself! Dose this seem like an unapproachable God, as taught by so many religious leaders of today? Such an attitude is true humility, the attitude that Christians must be indelibly stamped with. With such attitude there is no room whatsoever for competition for “status” within an organization, but rather a deep desire to exercise the gifts of the spirit that Elohim has given to each His chosen ones (I Corinthians 12).

This Jesus Christ, who declared Himself the first among many brethren (Romans 8:29), lives a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15) as an example for us, the saints, to emulate as best we an, putting down our selfish lusts in favor of the suits of His spirit. He deeply cares for us (I Peter 5:7) and pleads with is to be his friend by keeping His commands (John 15:14). He wants us to walk with Him daily — everyday — as He did with Enoch in pre-Flood days (Genesis 5:22).

He was willing to lay down His life for us because we are His friends. In like manner, we must lat down our lives for our brethren who are made in His image.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you so what I command you” (John 15:12-14)

Are we willing to take on the nature of our Savior Jesus Christ an be willing to literally sacrifice our lives for each other? This Elder Brother of ours says we must … and we can if we are actively allowing His spirit to grow and be active within us.

He is wisdom personified. He is the Living Word and would never so much as consider breaking the Law and sinning. He is our advocate, out Intercessor to the Father in our prayers (Romans 8:26) when we cannot make ourselves understood in our groanings to Him.

Let us search out the true nature of our Savior and soon-coming King over all the earth. Let us walk with Him as a friend, and see Him as He really is!