If you walk into a typical American church today, chances are the imagery displayed in stained glass or wall art portrays a look that’s decades old. A lot of the famous paintings of Jesus come from the 60’s and 70’s. Even non-religious art tends to favor the classics from eras long gone. During a recent trip to New York, a friend was surprised that much of the art in the Museum of Modern Art wasn’t all that modern, including pieces by Monet and other artists who died in the1920’s. As people of faith it is our goal to constantly be growing and evolving in our beliefs and understanding of Jesus. One of the basics of our faith is that Christ was resurrected and is alive, not just a historical figure from the past. If that is truly the case, why is our image of Jesus so stagnant?

In an effort to find more “modern” imagery of Jesus, I was thrilled to stumble across the work of an active artist known as NakedPastor. His cartoons and images portray Jesus in a refreshing light, often pushing the envelope beyond the stereotypical image, and showing Jesus as radically accepting, beautifully diverse, and incredibly humorous. Those concepts shouldn’t be new or surprising, yet somehow these days, they are.  

David Hayward, the man behind NakedPastor.com, is a longtime artist and former Presbyterian pastor. He was incredibly generous to share some time dialoguing with me about his lifelong ministry as an artist. He used to say he was an “artist trapped inside a pastor’s body,” but after 30 years in the ministry, he quit formal ministry to become a full-time artist, feeling it was his best opportunity to continue to grow.

I first found David’s work as a series of cartoons showing Jesus rescuing a lost sheep from various situations, always exuding unconditional love for the lamb that had been excluded. Yet when I asked him about his favorite images of Jesus, he shared two very powerful pieces.    

“Overturning” pictures that famous temple tantrum where Jesus flipped the tables of the money-changers. “This is one of my most popular cartoons of Jesus and I think people really like it because it has a superhero vibe or a Matrix vibe.” When asked what story needed telling here, David replied, “I don’t think Jesus had an issue with money in the temple or anything like that. I think what was disturbing was the exploitation of the poor by the establishment, by those in power. This image affirms justice and social action.”

“RefuJesus” comes from his Images of Christ series depicting Jesus as a refugee. In describing it David shares “his halo is barbed wire, he’s crying, he’s emaciated a little, and he’s carrying something. There are always refugees, always those in need, so I wanted to draw a picture where Jesus was a refugee. Some would argue that Jesus actually was a refugee with Mary and Joseph when they were in Egypt. I take the theological route of Mother Theresa who said she saw Christ in every child on the streets of Calcutta. I’m trying to shock people into the idea that the people around them are Christ. I think good theology claims the presence of Christ is in everyone.”

David started off as a blogging pastor, sharing a look behind the curtain at the real life of a pastor, being totally honest not just about the great things, but about the struggles and conflicts and doubts. Transitioning from the written word to his art was a method of sharing so much more with very few words. “Art has the power to shock or surprise us. With words our minds build up all these defenses and we come with our prejudices, assumptions, and opinions. Art often bypasses those defenses. That’s why the parables of Jesus are so powerful—it was a shocking way of hearing something. Art has a way of bypassing our defense mechanisms and going straight for the heart. I’m hoping to open people’s minds to see something in a different way.”

When asked how his current image of Jesus compares to the one he grew up with, David shares this great realization: “I’m trying to shatter stereotypes. It’s safe to say Jesus wasn’t white with blond hair and blue eyes, which a lot of us picture. I grew up with an image of God that looks surprisingly a lot like my dad with white hair and a white beard.” He smiles and laughs as it hits him. “I guess it’s kind of me now.”

“That childhood image is always there in the back of my mind and it’s totally false. John Calvin said the human mind is an endless manufacturer of idols, and I think that’s really true. Even the word “God” is potentially an idol, but that’s not God…the word is not the thing. I’m always challenging that, and when I was younger in ministry, realizing the word is not the thing was devastating for me. It was something that transformed my growth and my direction. It’s been a journey.”

I asked David what characteristics he would choose to describe Jesus, or how he would want people to know Jesus. The first word that came to his mind: Disruptor. “In the Gospel’s when you read between the lines you get this impression that Jesus broke protocol all the time because he was interested in something else, something deeper, something more genuine and authentically human. But that meant disrupting the status quo. Jesus would touch people and not be uncomfortable hanging out with a woman, or with so-called sinners, or sex workers, tax collectors, lepers, blind people, or poor people. That wasn’t just a hobby; that was a disruptive way to live in that time and place. ‘Overturning’ is so popular because it conveys this disruption in our way of living and doing business.”

What I love about David’s work is that he offers so much diversity in his work, from cartoons to drawings and paintings. His topics and characters share a wide range of themes that appeal to a wide audience. As he says, he isn’t trying to claim one single image as the true image of Jesus, but throwing his ideas in the pot to contribute to the conversation. If nothing else, art should invite an open door to share and discuss and talk about Jesus and how he shapes our lives. I give thanks for the beautiful work of such faithful artists like David that allow just that.