Is it wrong to have pictures of Jesus?

Response

When God initially gave His Law to humanity, He started with a declaration of His identity: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt” «I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.», (Exodus 20:2), along with a caution that Israel must not worship any other God besides Him. Immediately after that, He prohibited the creation of any image of anything “in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below” «Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:», (Exodus 20:4) for the purpose of worship or bowing down. The intriguing aspect of Jewish history is their frequent disobedience to this commandment. Time and time again, they crafted idols to represent deities and worshipped them, starting with the golden calf’s creation while God was inscribing the Ten Commandments for Moses (Exodus 32)! Idol worship not only led the Israelites astray from the true God but also resulted in various other sins, including temple prostitution, orgies, and even child sacrifice.

Merely having a picture of Jesus displayed in a home or church does not necessarily imply idolatry. It is conceivable that a portrait of Jesus or a crucifix could become an object of worship, in which case the worshipper would be at fault. However, there is nothing in the New Testament that explicitly prohibits a Christian from possessing an image of Jesus. Such a depiction could serve as a prompt to pray, to realign focus on the Lord, or to emulate Christ’s example. Nevertheless, believers should understand that the Lord cannot be confined to a two-dimensional image.Dimensional image and that prayer or adoration should not be directed to a picture. A picture can never fully represent God or accurately reflect His glory. It should not serve as a replacement for our perception of God or enhance our understanding of Him. Even the most exquisite portrayal of Jesus Christ is merely an artist’s interpretation of His appearance.

In reality, we do not know the physical likeness of Jesus. If His physical features were crucial for us to know, Matthew, Peter, and John would have surely provided an exact description, as would Jesus’ brothers, James and Jude. However, these New Testament writers do not offer any specifics about Jesus’ physical characteristics, leaving it to our imagination.

We do not require a visual representation to illustrate the character of our Lord and Savior. We only need to observe His creation, as Psalm 19:1–2 reminds us: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” Furthermore, our very existence as the redeemed of the Lord, sanctified and justified by His blood shed on the cross, should keep Him ever-present in our minds.

The Bible, the divine Word of God, also contains non-physical depictions of Christ that ignite our imaginations and stir our spirits. He is the light of the world “And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”, (John 1:5); the bread of life (John 6:32-33); the living water that satisfies the thirst of our souls “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”, (John 4:14); theHigh Priest who intercedes for us with the Father «Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. », (Hebrews 2:17); the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep «I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. », (John 10:11,14) «I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. », (John 10:11,14); the Spotless Lamb of God «And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. », (Revelation 13:8); the Author and Perfecter of our faith «looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. », (Hebrews 12:2); the Way, the Truth, the Life «Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. », (John 14:6); and the very Image of the invisible God «Who is the Image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: », (Colossians 1:15). Such a Savior is more beautiful to us than any piece of paper hanging on the wall.

In her book Gold Cord, missionary Amy Carmichael tells of Preena, a young Indian

Girl who became a Christian and resided in Miss Carmichael’s orphanage. Preena had never encountered an image of Jesus; instead, Miss Carmichael prayed for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to each of the girls, “for who but the Divine can show the Divine?” One day, Preena received a package from overseas. She opened it eagerly and extracted a picture of Jesus. Preena innocently inquired who it was, and upon learning that it was Jesus, she burst into tears. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Why are you crying?” Little Preena’s response encapsulates it all: “I thought He was far more beautiful than that” (page 151).