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Monday, August 23, 2021

No Beauty That We Should Desire Him

By Al Behel


There is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2)
     As a child I was introduced to pictures of Jesus. Salesmen would go from house to house selling wall-paintings showing Jesus holding a lamb or a small child in His arms. Bible class material carried color pictures showing Him dressed in a white robe with long flowing hair and a beard. Little did I know that these were just an artist conception of Jesus which had been painted just a few years before I was born.
     I have often wondered why we have no physical description of the most important figure in human history. We have sketches of many of the ancient world leaders and military giants but none of God’s beloved Son. Was He tall or short? Did He have the appearance of a huge football player, or did He look like He was under-nourished and emaciated? After all, He was born a peasant with no claim to wealth or fame.
     The Bible is strangely silent about Jesus’ physical appearance because that is not what draws us to Him. Isaiah tells us that when we look at Him there is no physical beauty that would make us desire to be with Him (Isaiah 53:2). He lived in an ordinary human body. He would not have been selected as a model for some fashion magazine.
     Yet, He has drawn men to Him as no other person has ever done. Throughout history men and women have followed Him with a loyalty that led them into lion’s dens, dungeon cells, and amphitheaters where they were torn apart before roaring crowds. Millions have denied themselves and taken up their crosses to become His disciples. Without having seen Him, we love Him, and we long for the day we can look upon His face.
     Someday we will behold Him in all His glory and look upon His face. We will have no difficulty recognizing Him. The beauty of His grace will draw us home.
- Al Behel preaches for the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://greatsmokymountainschurchofchrist.com/


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