Was Jesus Black?

There are some who are dangerously redefining the characters of the Bible and its overall message to fit into their own world of bigotry and separatism. They anachronistically attempt to connect the oppression and slavery of the Israelites in Egypt with that of the oppression and slavery experienced by Africans at the hands of the Europeans, not realizing that to assume that the ancient Egyptians and the Israelites were black would result in black on black oppression and slavery, not white on black! I am convinced that the pursuit to identify race in everything is itself racism. A racists sees everything as racism except their own racism. 

Was Jesus black?

Many Afrocentrists and black activists who believe Jesus was black attempt to substantiate their convictions with various misinterpreted passages of the Bible. I will address one of their most used passages in this article: Revelation 1:14-16. 

Revelation 1:14-16 "The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance."

The first thing to understand is that, according the context, this passage is not describing the color of Jesus' skin as He walked the earth and it is not describing Jesus' ethnicity or nationality. Instead, this passage is describing and extolling the brilliance and glory of Jesus whose face shines like the sun. Certainly this doesn’t mean Jesus’ face was a fiery orange. Context, context, context. Secondly, notice the term like was used 5 times within these three passages. Like, here, is used as a simile in comparing Jesus' glorified attributes to wool, blazing fire, rushing waters, and a shining sun. These passage are not saying that Jesus' hair is wool or that Jesus' eyes are fire or that Jesus' feet are bronze or that Jesus' voice is water or that Jesus' face is the sun. These symbolic descriptions should not be taken literally as direct descriptions of Jesus' physical attributes as He walked the earth. One must be extremely careful when approaching the Bible with preconceived assumptions about race, ethnicity, and the like. While the Bible is the Word of God to God's people, it is not a textbook giving every detail about everything we desired to know. God has given us the information we need to make the most important decision we need to make, and that is salvation in no one other than Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Bible Jesus was described as being a Jew who lived under the same Mosaic Laws as all other Jews (John4:22; Matthew 14:36; John 2:13; Galatians 4:4-5). Jesus celebrated Jewish festivals. Jesus worshiped in Jewish synagogues. Jesus wore Jewish clothing. Jesus was the promised Messiah from the tribe of Judah. Jesus was a Jew, not African, and not European.

What color was Jesus?

Jesus was a Jew, and according to scholars, Jesus would have been the same light-brown color as most other Jews who traveled a lot in the hot Mediterranean (not African) sun. "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus did not stand out among the people due to his unique pigmentation; therefore, Jesus was not white like a Scythian nor was he black like an Ethiopian, he was a Jew whose complexion was of lighter hue, which blended with other Jews. 

Connecting with Jesus Spiritually not racially

As a pastor I must pause at this point and probe at the heart of those who desire discover Jesus was black or white or any other color they share: Do you know Jesus spiritually or racially? Jesus died on the cross for your sin not your skin. He lived a life of suffering and gave his life for your forgiveness not your fraternity. He desires to save all mankind not brotherhood, Afrocentrism, Eurocentrism, etc. What drives you to search Gods Word for color identity instead of Christian identity? Is Jesus more or less your Savior if he identifies with your hue or your humanity? 

The ultimate purpose of the Bible

The ultimate purpose of the Bible is the glory of God through the salvation and worship of humanity, thus the ultimate purpose of humanity is the glory of God. What significance does race have to do with God's glory? None.