The Face of Jesus

“God… hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”* (2 Corinthians 4:6)

We have no portrait of Jesus Christ. The pictures of Him which artists have given us are only their conceptions of His appearance. They have sought, some of them with reverent interest and with devout mind, to put into their representations the character which the gospels describe in their narratives of our Lord’s earthly life. But none of these pictures, however noble and worthy they may be, are to be thought of as true portraits of the Master’s face. No such portrait has been preserved. So far as we know, no picture of Him was ever drawn.

The face of Jesus Christ must have been very beautiful—not with the surface beauty and charm that is idolized by carnal hearts, but the true beauty produced by a pure and spotless life. Sin disfigures the countenance, and there was no sin in Him. It is said that the thoughts make the face. We cannot altogether hide our inner life from men’s eyes. What goes on in the depths of our being, comes up to the surface in unmistakable indications and revealings.

A lady took a photograph of a child and touched it up until the face seemed to have all the witchery and charm of life. But in a day or two there were spots all over it. Something in the paper on which the photograph was printed worked up through the delicate colors and marred their beauty.

Just so, the qualities of the heart work out in the life and betray themselves in the face. If you are discontented, the discontent will reveal itself in your features. If you have bitter thoughts and feelings in your heart, the bitterness will write its hard lines on your countenance. But if you habitually think gentle thoughts, kindly thoughts, peaceful thoughts, then on your face will come gentleness, kindness, and peace. If you keep love in your heart amid all the afflictions and trials, all the irritations and harrowings, then your face will shine with love. There is much truth in the familiar lines:

“Beautiful thoughts make a beautiful soul,
And a beautiful soul makes a beautiful face.”

We know that all the thoughts of the Master were beautiful thoughts. Heaven dwelt in Him, and there was never any fleck of stain upon His spirit. In a world of hate, cruelty, and injustice, His heart was always full of love. Though the spiritual conflict at times aroused in Him anger against hard-heartedness and frustration with those that did not believe, He never harbored unkindness or bitterness towards those that opposed Him. Infinite holiness dwelt within. All the beatitudes had their home in His breast. All the fruits of the Spirit grew to perfect ripeness in Him. “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”* (Philippians 4:8)

These were the things on which Jesus thought continually. He never dwelt upon a sordid thought, an impure thought, a trivial thought, a selfish thought. His mind was never disturbed by discontent, by impurity, by anxiety. His converse was always with His Father. Though walking on the earth among sinful men, He really lived in heaven. All His feelings, desires, affections, and emotions were holy. He always did those things that were pleasing to His Father. If beautiful thoughts make a beautiful soul, then the soul of Jesus was spotlessly, divinely beautiful. And if a beautiful soul makes a beautiful face, then the face of Jesus was transcendently lovely.

Sorrow mars some faces. It need not do so. Only when affliction is not accepted in love and faith does it leave marks of disfigurement. Sorrow sweetly endured, transfigures the face, giving it new beauty. Jesus was “a man of sorrows.”* (Isaiah 53:3) But His sorrows only made His face more radiant.

Poverty writes hard lines of bitterness on some faces. Jesus was poor. He had nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58). But His poverty only left lines of compassion on His features, lines of gentleness, kindness, and sympathy toward human poverty and need. His face was quiet, calm, serene, heavenly.