I hope you have had your coffee. When Jesus returns in the second coming and he will return, and if he returns in the flesh, you might be astonished to discover he is indeed black in color. Why wouldn't he be black?
Jesus was an ethnic Jew with olive, light brown skin tone, right? It does appear that society often gives Jesus his color based on cultural stereotypes. This has been going on for hundreds of years. In fact, the assignment of race to biblical individuals has histo...rically been mostly a subjective exercise rather than through scientific analysis. Jesus has been called a white Aryan to a black African depending on the scholar or the societal trend, and sometimes based on the race of people reporting on this ethnicity.
My question, does Jesus' race matter? To me yes. As an African-American raised to worship this Son of God, I would like to know. The felt picture of Jesus that hung over our living room couch growing up showed him as white. The older I have gotten the pictures have gotten browner depending on where I am. I visited Egypt several years back. I read somewhere Jesus was Egyptian. I must say I did not see a single white person in Egypt who was not a tourist. It is safe to say if Jesus was Egyptian, he was indeed brown or black in color. Back to why I care.
Devotion to Jesus has been a large part of the African-American experience. The black church is at the pennacle of black life. Much of black Christianity is based on the bible. Many black people have begun to believe the bible is a European book of fiction where black accounts were marginalized or ignored throughout. Where does that leave believers who want clarity and understanding of teachings in the bible? How do we look for answers from a place (the bible) that our church is now calling into question. Furthermore, our Jesus is in that same bible some question. So where do we find answers? Could it be that no one really wants to answer the really tough questions? If Jesus is Egyptian, he is African. If he is African, he is black. The Egyptian Coptic Church still exist today. Christianity in Egypt dates back to at least the 3rd century. Look no further than where Christianity had it roots to begin to answer some of these questions.
Weigh in.
Jesus was an ethnic Jew with olive, light brown skin tone, right? It does appear that society often gives Jesus his color based on cultural stereotypes. This has been going on for hundreds of years. In fact, the assignment of race to biblical individuals has histo...rically been mostly a subjective exercise rather than through scientific analysis. Jesus has been called a white Aryan to a black African depending on the scholar or the societal trend, and sometimes based on the race of people reporting on this ethnicity.
My question, does Jesus' race matter? To me yes. As an African-American raised to worship this Son of God, I would like to know. The felt picture of Jesus that hung over our living room couch growing up showed him as white. The older I have gotten the pictures have gotten browner depending on where I am. I visited Egypt several years back. I read somewhere Jesus was Egyptian. I must say I did not see a single white person in Egypt who was not a tourist. It is safe to say if Jesus was Egyptian, he was indeed brown or black in color. Back to why I care.
Devotion to Jesus has been a large part of the African-American experience. The black church is at the pennacle of black life. Much of black Christianity is based on the bible. Many black people have begun to believe the bible is a European book of fiction where black accounts were marginalized or ignored throughout. Where does that leave believers who want clarity and understanding of teachings in the bible? How do we look for answers from a place (the bible) that our church is now calling into question. Furthermore, our Jesus is in that same bible some question. So where do we find answers? Could it be that no one really wants to answer the really tough questions? If Jesus is Egyptian, he is African. If he is African, he is black. The Egyptian Coptic Church still exist today. Christianity in Egypt dates back to at least the 3rd century. Look no further than where Christianity had it roots to begin to answer some of these questions.
Weigh in.
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