Some have asked about praying before an image of Christ on the cross. 

It is well known there aren’t any actual sketches or portraits of Christ. Religious individuals have simply created out of their imagination a figure who reflects their beliefs. These portraits have been passed down through the centuries without people questioning their accuracy. Yet the Bible itself challenges the weak, effeminate and frail image that most pictures or images of Jesus convey.

We know from the Scriptures that Christ was able to blend in with the crowds and that His physical appearance was not remarkable in any way. The messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53:2 says: “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” It’s noteworthy that He was so much like any common individual of the day that, in spite of His fame, it was necessary for Judas to identify Him to the soldiers who came to arrest Him.

Additionally, Christ’s legal father, Joseph, was a “carpenter,” and it’s logical to assume that Jesus worked with him while a young boy. Since the Bible doesn’t mention Joseph after Christ’s early years, it’s likely that he died when Jesus was young. As the oldest son, Jesus likely managed Joseph’s business until undertaking His ministry. To do the work of a carpenter, one would generally need to be a relatively rugged individual. The Greek word from which “carpenter” is translated also means a craftsman. So Joseph and Jesus likely did much more than carpentry work, including woodworking and general contracting.

Artists who have depicted Christ – whether in paintings, images, or sculptures -- clearly worked from a preconceived idea of a “soft” image, perhaps because they think it would convey gentleness. If so, it’s unfortunate that they did not consider the above information, as well as the fact that a man can be truly masculine and lovingly gentle at the same time.

While there aren’t any actual pictures, or images, of Christ, there are images of the people who lived in the time of Christ and they are generally pictured with short hair, cuts in styles that have no hair covering the ears, forehead or back of the neck. It’s logical to assume that this was representative of male grooming at the time of Christ and therefore of His true appearance. And the Bible says that if a man has long hair (as some pictures of Jesus portray) it dishonours him (I Corinthians 11:14).  Jesus example would most certainly not be dishonourable.

It is clear no drawing, image, or sculpture was ever made of Jesus that remains. All we have are conceptions that people came up with centuries later. Apparently, their theology greatly influenced their impression of His appearance. It seems they were overly influenced with the concept of making Him appear “gentle,” ignoring what the Scripture reveals about His physical strength, as well as the strength of His personality.

Since God did not cause or allow the preservation of any likeness of Jesus Christ, it’s clear that He intended us to look instead to Christ’s words and teachings for instruction on how to live, and how to pray.  As it is clear from the second Commandment that we should not make any images of God, it is therefore not appropriate to have an image of Christ on the cross in any form of religious worship, or when praying. 

Our booklet Jesus Christ: The Real Story goes into detail about Christ's life on earth.