Bible People Were Normal People
When we think of people of the Bible, we tend to recall how they have been portrayed
over time. I mean, who does not think of Charlton Heston as he carried the tablets
of stone in the classic “The Ten Commandments”?
We tend to think of Jesus as the handsome white guy with long flowing hair and
a nicely trimmed beard. But that is not how the scripture describes our Lord.
The prophecy of Isaiah 53 says that he is ruddy in appearance. Most scholars think
that ruddy means a red head person with the typical attributes of many who are
natural red-heads. Many freckles and so forth. Also Isaiah says that his appearance
is not comely or attractive. In our human system of numbering beauty we might
give him a 2 or 3, but certainly not a 10. The NASV reads that “He
has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him”. (vs2).
That is not what we want to hear. Most likely, Jesus was dark skinned, had short
hair, had a beard certainly not trimmed, and since he grew up a carpenter, most
likely he had calluses and rugged skin, red hair, and freckles. The beauty of
Jesus is found not in His appearance, but in His character as with everyone of
the Bible.
We might want to think of the apostle Paul as a Billy Graham type. Tall, handsome,
well spoken and polished, but the scriptures speak of a man who was a poor speaker,
and one who had poor eyesight. Most scholars think that he was short, fat, bald,
and needed companions always because he could not see well.
We could probably go on discussing this for a long time. But the point of this
article is this; we usually feel that we cannot measure up to these great characters
of faith because we have imbedded an image in our minds of making them larger
than life, more handsome and beautiful than ordinary people, and taller, wiser,
or just better. The truth is that the people of the Bible were normal people like
you and me. And if those people found favor with God, certainly you can find favor
with God also. All you have to do is follow the example of these great people
of faith and devotion to God. The people in the Bible faced many of the same problems
we face today. Some fell into temptation, and committed sins and some made the
right choice to obey God. You and I have as much opportunity to be pleasing to
God as anyone written about in the Bible.
We know that God is not willing that any perish (2 Peter 3:9).
You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died on
the cross for your sins. (Acts 8:37). You must repent of your
sins (Luke 13:3) you must confess Jesus as Lord (Matthew 10:32)
and you must be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts
2:38; 22:16). Then you must remain faithful and continue learning
(2 Peter 3:18). May God bless you in your study of His word.
Please visit us at:
By Carey Scott via the Madisonville Meteor July 9,2008
Return to the Newspaper articles page
Return to the General
Articles page