What Jesus Looks Like Now

Read: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1:12-17

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Rev. 1:17)

What’s your mental picture of Jesus? Some might think of a painting that once hung in many a church lounge, a portrait of an olive-skinned Jesus with brown hair and beard and a rather dreamy expression on his face. Or there’s another picture I once saw—the laughing Jesus, head thrown back and white teeth flashing from a black beard. There are portrayals where Jesus looks Middle Eastern, Asian, African, European, Native American.

These imaginative efforts are legitimate because Jesus was a real human being who looked like us. In the Orthodox tradition of iconography, it is forbidden to attempt a picture of God the Father. The Father has no body. But to refuse to attempt a picture of Jesus is also forbidden, because it is a denial of the reality of the incarnation.

John’s portrait of Jesus, though, is completely different. He was not trying to show what Jesus looked like back then, during his life on earth. He was showing us what Jesus looks like now. No painter could ever do this figure justice. No video clip, with images flashing fire and a roaring soundtrack of Niagara Falls, could ever convey the awesome glory of the risen Lord. John’s reaction says it best: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” Later, John responded in a similar way to an angel, but he was told to get up; even an angel is just a creature (Rev. 22:8-9). Here, however, his prostrate worship of the glorified Jesus is entirely appropriate.

As you pray, give Jesus the glory that is due.

About the Author

Rev. David Bast

David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word. 

Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, includingWhy Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.

Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.

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