Jesus was born in the Middle East, among people who were mostly dark-haired, dark-eyed, and of a swarthy complexion.  If He had appeared different from others around Him, we would expect to find some note of that in the Bible.  For instance, Esau is described as having red hair, Moses’ wife was called an Ethiopian (meaning black).  Since there is no such mention about Jesus, we conclude that there was nothing remarkable in his appearance.

Black people are mentioned in the Bible, usually being labelled Ethiopians (Cushites).  Sometimes they were the good guys, sometimes they were the bad guys.  It is never hinted that the colour of their skin had anything to do with being good or bad.

There is really no explicit mention in the Bible of white people, of the blond-haired, blue-eyed variety.  In Jesus’ day blond-haired, blue-eyed white people existed as semi-civilized pagan tribes in Northern Europe.  The reference to “Scythian” in Colossians 3:11 may well be only mention of such people in the Bible.  Scythians seem to have been considered the wildest of the barbarians.

Bible story books usually depict Jesus as looking pretty much Anglo-Saxon.  I suppose the intent is to present a non-threatening Jesus to little children, to avoid making Him look foreign or strange.  Maybe that’s OK.  But a time comes when I need to admit that Jesus really did not look just like me, and that’s OK, too.  Maybe it’s even a good thing.

I am a blue-eyed white man (my hair used to be light brown, now it is mostly white).  I am descended from a variety of such tribes — English, Scottish, French, German and Dutch.  Now, if it’s possible for me, from a tribe that’s not even mentioned in the Bible, to be a Christian, that must mean that it is possible for anyone, from any tribe and nation, to be a Christian.

A good book on this topic is Whiteman’s Gospel © 1997 by Craig Stephen Smith, published by Indian Life Books, Winnipeg, Manitoba, ISBN 0-920379-12-5.  Mr. Smith is Chippewa (Ojibwa), his wife is Navajo and he is a pastor of the Christian & Missionary Alliance.