The many faces of Jesus

 I admit it, I am overly sensitive about images of Jesus. If I am drawn to one, I spend hours meditating on it, if not, I promptly steer clear of it.  I confess it should be the opposite, spending more time on images that disturb or challenge the limiting vision of my preferred Jesus.

There are thousands of Jesus images, rightfully so, because we visualize him from a multitude of sources including church tradition and scripture.  It is natural to favor images that reflect our theological belief, cultural background, and our lived experience of Jesus.  But lest we keep God too close or too small, widening our preferences is a worthy endeavor.  Adopting an image of Jesus that is bound to a culture not our own, might connect us to new spirituality.

While the most common image of Jesus in my nursing home rooms is the traditional sacred heart picture, it is one that makes me shiver. I was introduced to it in my Irish Catholic home at a young age and it scared me.  The thought of following someone that walked round with his insides exposed perplexed me.  I wanted to steer clear of that person for sure. Yet,  when I show this image to my dementia residents who were very devout Catholics, it calms them down, or at least for a moment brings a smile to their face.  I don’t know what they saw in it years ago that comforted them, but surely their reaction tells me this Jesus is an important part of their spiritual story.

These days my favorite image of Jesus is a Middle Eastern Jewish male. (second picture below) He’s rugged, somewhat agitated and frustrated, not looking like the shining light of peace fills his aura.  My inclination to this image reveals how I feel about his message in the modern word, about the Jesus who challenged the stubbornness of church officials and bore the struggles of life on the streets as he healed and gave hope to throngs of needy people who crowded him.

Here are a few images of Jesus for you to consider.  Which you do favor, which do you resist?   Spend some time exploring what is beneath your choice.

 

my personal  favorite....