What do you think Jesus looked like? If you look at paintings, Jesus somehow ends up looking European, shampoo-commercial ready, with perfect skin, perfect hair, and a beard that clearly uses a product regimen! Meanwhile, if Jesus had actually spent all day walking dusty roads in the Middle East with twelve hungry guys asking questions, I’m guessing He looked a little less like a model and a little more like a tired camp counsellor!
Most people have some kind of a default mental image of what they think Jesus looks like from pictures or movies we’ve seen. We create an image of the Jesus who makes us most comfortable.
People in Jesus day had a mental portrait of what the Saviour of their world - whom they called "Messiah" would look like. For them Messiah was a nationalistic, political and military warrior/saviour King - who would crush Israel's enemies and return Israel to a place of Glory as in days of old.
Before Jesus could claim the title Messiah - he had to repaint their portrait of Messiah. One of the most startlingly different ideas of Messiah that He painted - almost contradictory to the image people had in their minds - was that He came to be a Servant Messiah.
