We all know that Jesus didn't actually look like the photo that is circulate as his likeness. How do we know? Those of us who are able to read and have read the description of Jesus in the Bible as well as know that he was in Africa, knows that he didn't have long light-brown hair and blue eyes.
While I was walking down Hollywood Blvd. with camera in hand this guy alights from the Metro, and before I know it I said to myself, "this guy looks like Jesus" with the garb it was even more convincing. So without thinking I try to position myself away from the corner of which he stepped down from the bus and where I was waiting to cross the street, in order to get a picture of him with the least amount of distraction as possible. By the time I was able to do that I was only about to get the back of him as he crossed Hollywood Blvd.
After taking the pictures I noticed that others were watching him as well, and he glided across the street with such ease and grace as though he was the Messiah.
It was not until after talking to two other women that was looking at him as I had been, and asking if I had gotten the picture, that I realized, that I had been programmed and I knew differently. My immediately response was that this man looked like Jesus, when in actuality the man looked like the mass produced image of a man that we are told is Jesus.
So where did the depiction of Jesus begin and how?
What a great post. I saw this same character in West Hollywood while at a light and immediately said aloud, Jesus?
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point in that we all know that it's unlikely that Jesus looks like the commercialized Hollywood Jesus that we have all come to know and love, yet, we rarely question or challenge this topic. Odd isn't it?