im in an enviroment where the race of jesus is often discussed. im no bible scholar so i always asumed he was hebrew decent. but everyone here seems to think he is black? why?
The Bible does not say anything about the color of Jesusâ skin. Jesus was a Jew/Israelite/Hebrew. He was of Semitic descent. His skin color was likely somewhere in between light olive and medium-dark brown. Jesus very likely looked like a typical Middle Easterner, with dark hair and dark eyes. People from Israel, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq are likely the best current examples of what Jesus would have looked like.
Those who believe Jesus was black typically have two main arguments. The first is based on the description of Jesus in Revelation 1:14-16, particularly the reference to His feet being âburnished bronze.â However, bronze is a medium-dark brown color. It is not the same color as the skin of black people. More importantly, though, Revelation 1:14-16 is clearly symbolic. It is a description of Jesus appearing in a glorious form in a vision. It is not a description of Jesusâ human appearance.
Are we to believe that Jesus literally had eyes of fire (Revelation 1:14), a voice of raging waters (verse 15), seven stars in His right hand (verse 16), a sword in His mouth (verse 16), and a face as bright as the sun (verse 16)? Of course not. Neither are we to believe that Jesusâ feet were literally the color of burnished bronze.
The second argument is that since Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Egypt to hide Him from Herod in Matthew 2:13-14, they must have looked similar to Egyptians. And, since Egypt is in Africa, that means Egyptians are black. Therefore, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were black. There are numerous errors in this line of reasoning.
Joseph and Mary did not need to be able to âblend inâ in Egypt. They simply needed to be outside of the territory Herod controlled. Herod would have no authority to order the slaughter of children in Egypt even if he somehow discovered that Jesus was in Egypt. Yes, Egypt is in Africa, and so Egyptians are Africans. But, Egyptians are not black. Ethnically, Egyptians were, and still are, Middle Eastern, with similar skin tones to the people of Israel.
While these two are the most frequent, I have heard a few other âJesus was blackâ arguments. All of them are weak, at best. Simply put, the Bible does not teach that Jesus was black. Biblically, historically, and anthropologically speaking, it is extremely unlikely that Jesus was black/African in ethnicity.
But, lack of biblical evidence does not dissuade those who are convinced that Jesus was black. This argument is a primary feature of the Black Hebrew/Black Israelite movement, but it is not limited to that movement. The question arises: Why is it so important to many people of black/African descent that Jesus was black? The answer, in my opinion, is the same reason that Europeans/Caucasians have for millennia portrayed Jesus as having light skin: we all want Jesus to look like us. Picturing Jesus looking like our own ethnicity seems to help us to connect with Him.
While Jesus is rarely portrayed as blond-haired and blue-eyed anymore, that was, for a time, the predominant portrait, at least in the USA. While most American Christians understand that Jesus was very likely Middle Eastern in appearance, they donât truly picture Him that way in their minds. The idea that Jesus likely looked much more like the members of ISIS we see in the news than the Caucasian actors who typically portray Him in American movies is, well, difficult to accept for many.
I think I understand why some black people desperately want Jesus to be black. For many, it is an overreaction to the completely inaccurate portrayals of a white Jesus. But, whatever the case, the precise hue of Jesusâ skin is completely irrelevant. That is likely why the Bible nowhere gives a physical description of Jesus, other than essentially saying He was ordinary (Isaiah 53:2).
God became flesh (John 1:1, 14) so He could bear our sins in His body (1 Peter 2:24), thereby saving for Himself a multitude of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Revelation 7:9). Jesus was not white. Jesus was not black. Jesus was, very likely, in the middle in terms of skin color. But, ultimately, it does not matter. Jesus is the Savior for all of humanity (1 John 2:2). Jesus died for blacks and whites and everything in between. Godâs sacrificial love is for the entire world (John 3:16). Divisive arguments over the color of His skin are antithetical to what He accomplished.
J.
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Same reason some people think he is blonde with blue eyes. That is simply what they have been wrongly taught. It really is not complicated. Get on a plan, go to Japan, look around. What do you see? Japanese folks. Go to India, what do you see? Indian folks. These are the same folks who have been there for thousands of years. They look how they look.
Now get back on the plan and fly to Jerusalem, look around, what do you see? Jewish folks. Jesus was a Jew. He was birthed by a Jew, and He grew up Jewish. That is who and what He is. That is what he looked like. Most of the people in the Bible were Jewish, and they would look like they do. Anything else is simply wrong, no matter the reason.
Moses is sometimes said to be a black man. This is not true. As a matter of fact, he faced discrimination from His own people because he married an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1).
Having said that, why does it matter what color His skin is? Are you going to die and find out we were all wrong and he is Chinese, and go âSorry, I cannot come in?â Of course not. The only color that matters is the color red, the color of the blood shed for you and me.
Peter
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Jesus was a Jewish man born in the Middle East, so He likely would not have looked like the European images many people grew up seeing. I think that different groups just like to picture Him through their own cultural lens, which is probably part of why the conversation comes up so often.
I think the more interesting question is, why do people feel so strongly about Jesus looking like them? 
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He is neither white, nor black, for His Human is Divine.
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In my highly racist environment, I have discovered that many people are âexpertsâ on why Jesus was black but canât recall any of his teachings.
Does it matter what color a life boat is when your ship is sinking?
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