The Hope of a Hebraic-Jewish Jesus

What does it mean to have images of a White Jesus, Asian Jesus etc.?

Most of the time we don’t really think about how we depict Jesus, but perhaps it is important that we think of it with more intent.

Historically a depiction of a white, western European looking Jesus has been the most prominent. Arthur Maxwell’s “The Bible Story” and the Hanna-Barbera video series “The Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible” are two examples of how mainstream Evangelical Christianity has made Jesus white. But incorrect ethnic depictions of a “black” Jesus can be seen in the Ethiopian Orthodox church, and South American Christians have utilized a Latino Jesus.

We unfortunately create Jesus in our own image. So who was Jesus?

Jewish as a Hebraic Jew, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but his earthly mother, Mary, and his earthly father, Joseph, were from the northern parts of Galilee. Jesus would not have been white; he would have been olive-skinned. The closest thing in our day and age would be Middle Eastern Arabs or Middle Eastern ethnic Jews.

Jesus would have looked like a multi-ethnic Jew. He would have most likely had Jewish traits, a prominent nose and jaw, and dark hair, but he would have most likely also had traits and blood from various ethnic and cultural lines (look at the inclusion of Ruth (a Moabite), Rahab (a Canaanite), and others in Jesus’ genealogy). Additionally, as the son of a carpenter and a young man who trained in carpentry, we can deduce that Jesus was probably tanned by the sun and at least in decent shape. Archeologist put pieces of history together and actually deduced that Jesus maybe looked similar to this . . .

Why do we create in our own image?

Generally, I believe we depict Jesus in our own image because we are ethnocentric and prideful. We want to normalize and validate our own race, ethnicity, and/or history. Some times that comes with elements of power. Although it isn’t a comfortable reality, a white Jesus normalizes Christianity as a “white man’s religion.” Historically, within the American context this has been painstakingly true. Native-Americans/First Nationers, Black Americans, and Asian-Americans have struggled with the possibility of Christianity, partly because it meant that they would have to follow a “white man.” Obviously, folks within these groups became and are Christians nonetheless, but Christianity’s presentation of Jesus was incorrect and a hindrance for many.

But this is not a “white issue.” It is a Christian issue. A lot happens when we create Jesus in our own image. We have Aryan depictions which fueled Nazi Germany & the KKK, We have Black depictions that form an Afro-centric/Black Power Christianity. We have European depictions that encouraged the Crusades. We have Latino depictions that lead South Americans to violence. Having a Jesus that looks like us makes us – even if not consciously – feel entitled to view our expression of faith as true, sometimes despite the unbiblical reality of our expression.

* I must establish that rich art is something different than normal depiction. For example, the artistic depiction of Jesus as an African-American slave says something much more than Jesus is Black. In fact, it doesn’t say that at all. It says that Jesus can identify with the suffering of Black slaves in the United States and suffering as a whole. To depict Jesus as an Italian immigrant can speak of Jesus’ extraterrestrial alienation in this world. It is not art that is of our concern. In fact, Jesus art should be celebrated. We run into trouble when we normalize the race and ethnicity of Jesus to our own presuppositions rather than truth.

Does it matter what Jesus looks like?

Some say that Jesus’ physical appearance doesn’t matter, that it is superficial, but that isn’t reality. Jesus’ social environment was impacted by his culture and his appearance. Jesus was a Jew. That means people treated him like a Jew.

We have a temptation to want to be nice and color-blind or ethnic-blind (probably a better fit, but not as catchy). We wish we didn’t see difference, but that again isn’t reality. I am black, specifically African-American. To assume that my ethnicity hasn’t shaped my perception of the world and the world’s response to me is preposterous. My African-American”ness” doesn’t ultimately define me, but it is a part of who I am and who God made me. Maybe you are European-American, maybe you are Kenyan, maybe you are Black Jamaican, maybe you are Chinese-American, etc. Whatever ethnicity/race you are does not define you, but it is a part of your definition.

Jesus’ jewish”ness” connected him with humanity, with a people who had suffered, who had ruled, who had been in favor with God, and who had felt the hand of God.

Jesus dealt with – in neither an explicitly positive or negative way – being a Jew in a Roman land, being officially a bastard (lest we forget although Mary and Joseph were pregnant before they were married, even though we understand the work of the Holy Spirit impregnating Mary – try selling that to a whole society), a lower/middle class individual, a carpenter’s son, a brother, a Nazarene (thus, not from a “good” part of the middle-east), being most-likely tri-lingual (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic), and being connected to a Hebrew ethnicity and history. His ultimate identity was the son of God, but he had many identities, one of which was his race/ethnicity.

So what?

So what do we do with depictions of Jesus? That is the hard question. I don’t know if there is a 5-step plan or that I can give a 5 point sermon about it. But here are some simple thoughts.

1- Internally and Externally acknowledge that Jesus was an Arab, Hebraic Jew

2- Confront incorrect -non Artistic – depictions of Jesus

3- Realize that artistic depictions of Jesus are not suppose to create an image of Jesus as a human, but as the Messiah (e.g. Black Jesus relating with liberation from American slavery equates with Jesus liberating us from the slavery of sin)

4- Understand how incorrect images tied with power (KKK, Nazi Germany) distorts the Gospel and is a hindrance to others.

The hope of a Hebraic-Jewish Jesus.

Seeing Jesus as Jewish liberates us from power plays. We all, despite our current ethnicity/race, most identify with the lineage, history, and stories of the ancient Hebrews. If “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22), we must realize the depth of understanding. God worked within the Hebraic context in the Old Testament, but Jesus widened the perspective, it was no longer necessary to specifically join this people group. What Jesus brought was a multi-cultural expansion to where and to whom God would work. The Kingdom of God became open to all who wished to enter and was historically tied, but not bound to the Hebrew people.

In many ways this is obvious. If we as Christians weren’t supposed to connect to the Hebrew people, what is the point of the Old Testament? Yes, there are prophetic allusions to the Christ and we have a broad understanding of who God is by reading the Old Testament. But God could have simply placed the remnant of all those things within various cultures without having us follow a unified grand-narrative (I argue that he did give us pieces to look at in various cultures). But God pinpointed a certain people group to work through. Through their ethnicity and history we read the Old Testament and connect, in part because we are, too, God’s people. Like Ruth said to Naomi, we say to Jesus, the Christ, “your people shall be my people and your God my God.”

This was originally posted on the MOSAIC website of Huntington University

Jin

Former battle rap champ Jin is making his way back into the spotlight as a Christian rapper signed to Universal Hong Kong.

Now a born again Christian residing in Hong Kong, Jin has changed the content of his music, but still manages to showcase his lyrical prowess.

Recently Jin released a new track titled “Welcome to the Light Club,” which is fueled by a catchy beat.

Here is an except from the track:

“I got a session booked for7 and its 6:35/ so I got 25 minutes to conjure up this rhyme/its been a long time right stepped away from the limelight/ but the breaks over Holy Spirit takeover/they say the truth will set you free if you so believe/ Jesus is the truth with Him freedom can be achieved”

Via his ayojin.com webpage, Jin chronicles his adventures in this new lifestyle and he describes one trip by saying, “Did a quick performance, gave a testimony and just enjoyed God’s presence.”

I first picked up the news of Jin’s conversion a couple weeks ago on Rapzilla. I remember being excited when Jin’s first album, the Rest is Hisotry, came out. He represented the globalization of Hip-Hop and his lyrics, though some times vulgar and self-indulgent were honest. Now that he is a Christian, I am hoping that he allows God to use his gifts to bless the world. I hope he doesn’t become a “christian rapper”.  Nothing against my boys LeCrae or Tedashii, but the overt Evangelism can become tiresome if that is all that Christian’s who rap do. Of course I want Jin to give glory to the father, if he wasn’t I would question his authenticity, but I hope he doesn’t it with the same social concern that he showed on his first album. Talk about the street, talk about Hong Kong and Chinatown, talk about injustice etc. just do it with the telos (ends) of bringing honor and glory to God. Through that, as my father would say, “souls would be saved and Christians will be strengthened” .

Thoughts?

Former battle rap champ Jin is making his way back into the spotlight as a Christian rapper signed to Universal Hong Kong.

Now a born again Christian residing in Hong Kong, Jin has changed the content of his music, but still manages to showcase his lyrical prowess.

Recently Jin released a new track titled “Welcome to the Light Club,” which is fueled by a catchy beat.

Here is an except from the track:

“I got a session booked for7 and its 6:35/ so I got 25 minutes to conjure up this rhyme/its been a long time right stepped away from the limelight/ but the breaks over Holy Spirit takeover/they say the truth will set you free if you so believe/ Jesus is the truth with Him freedom can be achieved”

Via his ayojin.com webpage, Jin chronicles his adventures in this new lifestyle and he describes one trip by saying, “Did a quick performance, gave a testimony and just enjoyed God’s presence.”

Interview with Soong-Chan Rah

I wanted to pass this article. It is an interview with Northpark University professor Soong-Chan Rah about diversity in the church and his new book The Next Evangelicalism.  Several of the questions of from me and the others come from Ed Gilbreath and some others at UrbanFaith.com. Here are some of the questions asked.

Practically speaking, do you think the strong tone and language of your book will change the mind of someone who isn’t already passionate about diversity in the church?

You seem to suggest a connection between the Korean/Korean American church and the African American church. Where does this come from, and why do you establish such a connection?

How do ethnic minorities begin a conversation amongst themselves about reaching out to other racial and ethnic groups?

You offer a blistering critique of the emerging church movement, suggesting that it is overhyped and lacks diversity. Is diversity possible in the “emerging” or “emergent” churches”? It seems as if Christians involved in that movement are extremely cultural bound, even more so than “mainstream” evangelical Christianity?

It seems that often the conversation is how white churches can become more diverse, which can come off as an expression of white dominance or perpetuate the phenomenon of “white guilt” as a motivator. Would you suggest that some white and minority churches serving in the same neighborhood merge rather than having white churches glibly trying to be diverse?

Soul Searching

Soul Searching is a film for anyone wanting to know more about the spiritual lives of teenagers. The book – of the same title and well worth the read – is robust in its examinations and shows the complexities and sometimes shallowness of teenage spirituality.

This DVD does the same. The DVD gives images and audible voices to the stories of teenage spirituality and helps the watcher connect with the student’s spiritual life through wonderful statistical commentary. Ideally, this film is not one to watch and set aside as a good documentary. It is one that is meant to challenge the way we do “youth ministry” and view our teenagers as they develop spiritually.

Here is a the review from Amazon.

In 2005, Oxford University Press released a very important book. Sociologists from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill had just released their findings of a comprehensive study of the religious views of American teenagers. And what they found was nothing less than shocking. According to Christian Smith, the primary author of the book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American teenagers, the actual professed religion of most young adults, whether they’re being raised in Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Jewish homes, is what he called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. What this means is that although many teens believe in God and go to church regularly, they end up defining belief in very vague and subjective terms, such as, God exists, He’s there when we need him, He wants us to be happy, The purpose of life is to feel good, Good people go to heaven, and so forth. Now, in 2007, a documentary film version of Soul Searching was just released by Revelation Studios. And on this edition of the White Horse Inn webcast, Michael Horton talks with Michael Eaton, the co-director of the film, as well as Christian Smith himself, the primary researcher behind the project, about their new documentary Soul Searching: A Movie About Teenagers & God. Based on a seven year study of the religious views of American teens, this film presents some troubling findings about the content and quality of the faith being passed on to the next generation. –Whitehorse Inn

Ming-Taur to Mary?

Think Progressive posted an update about Republican Rep. (Texas) Betty Brown’s recent (a month ago) comments about Asian immigrants and Asian-Americans changing their names so they are easier to pronounce.

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told [Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey] Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

There are several issues with Rep. Brown’s statements.

1 - Many Asian-Americans already have names with European origins. This is probably more present with second generation Asian-Americans than recent immigrants because many parents realize that their children will be growing up in an American context. However, even though parents may give their children European origin names they also often give their children  names from their cultural language be it Korean, Thai, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi etc.

2- She reduces Asian-American to Chinese. There is much to be said about this, but her reductionism is self evident.

3 – She speaks with heavy ethnocentrism.  We have to adjust to one another, building a society is not about assimilation. That was perhaps the mantra of the early 1900’s, but that was tragically flawed. Societies are formed with diversity being honored and acknowledged. Individuals are enhanced by having to learn and understand languages and cultures different than their own. Even something as simple as learning a name is important and can launch individuals in greater cultural understanding.

4 – Rep. Brown ignores the gravity of language as a form of identity. Changing ones name is apart of losing ones cultures. African slaves took European names of slave masters. While Africans did create unique African-American cultures, this was due to oppression, isolation and injustice. Despite this oppression-breed culture, identity is a complex problem with African-Americans and ties to history are often lost partially from adapting the name of a slave master.

This affects those of European American heritage too. I think part of the reason many Whites don’t consider themselves as ethnic is the issue of name changes. Ellis Island, the gateway to America, brought many individuals in this country, but many of them lost their heritage when their names were made easier to pronounce (probably at school/work etc, not actually at Ellis Island). Some White Americans can track their ancestry and they know when and where their names were adapted, but even then I suggest that regardless of whether you know your original name there is something different living life with the name Kent instead of Kantaruk.

***

There could be more to say about the flaws in her suggestion, but I think it is important to point out that I don’t believe Rep. Brown is racist.

Ignorant? Yes.

I think that she believes this suggestion is being helpful. However, the reality is her “help” is confounded by her naiveté and ignorance. I hope that someone has spoken to Rep. Brown and explained the deep issues with her suggestion. And then I hope she realizes her insensitivity and apologizes – specifically to the Asian-American community.

But I don’t think Rep. Brown is alone. It is easy to not acknowledge language as an important facet of culture. We want people to learn English (interestingly enough even when they already know English but feel more comfortable speaking their native language) and become “American”, but what does that mean? Many of us have had our thoughts about “those people” in the supermarket speaking Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Polish etc. Perhaps they were not severe ethnocentric thoughts, perhaps it was a sense of minor discomfort, but they were questioning thoughts nonetheless.

Is it “American” to only speak English? Can” American” be defined as a conglomeration of people who speak a number of languages and who have emerged from a variety of backgrounds? Perhaps having a multilingual society is the direction our nation needs to go.