Close your eyes and picture this…ok perhaps not while reading. Keep your eyes open and picture in your mind the first image you think of when I say…Jesus. Do you imagine a porcelain-skinned man with long, wavy dark hair and blue eyes? Do you see a brown skinned man with dark eyes and short curly hair? Do you picture someone who looks like you? Now what does this image say about your understanding of who Jesus is? In the image you pictured, what was Jesus doing? Was he cuddling a lamb or welcoming to a child? Was he beaten and bruised and hanging from a cross? Was he serenely gazing up at something unseen as if Olan Mills were capturing his portrait?

Whether we realize it or not, the pictures we have been exposed to through art, movies, stained glass windows, and other imagery have a profound influence on how we understand Jesus. And the majority of modern day churches and even ancient cathedrals are offering a very limited view of Jesus based on their artwork and imagery.

While scripture and stories play a huge role in our understanding of Jesus, the images that we are exposed to also have a profound impact on our understanding. It’s like reading a book and then seeing the movie, and realizing that the images in your head didn’t quite match whom the casting director chose. After awhile, when we go back to read that favorite book again, our imagined pictures of the characters are no longer accessible, and we can only picture the actors we’ve seen on screen. When we read scripture, do we picture Jesus as he’s described, or as we’ve seen him portrayed in art?

As a doctor of ministry student, I am on a quest to better understand how Christian imagery influences our faith and how limited or stereotypical imagery may be harming our church’s understanding of hospitality. I will be sharing stories of people whose image of Jesus changed as their faith evolved, artists who saw a need for more authentic representation, and resources I think share a more faithful image of the full range of Jesus’ character. I invite you to join in this journey by sharing your reactions. Which artists should I discover? Who has a great story to tell? What are your favorite images of Jesus? Maybe together we’ll find a new favorite.