Picture this common crime scene drama:
A police investigator, who happens to be a Christian, walks into a bar. He is there conducting a missing person investigation related to a homocide. The detective goes over to the bartender and gets his attention. The detective holds up a picture of man in his 30's with long hair and a beard. He asks "Have you seen him?" The bartender shakes his head side-to-side and says "He doesn't look familiar. The detective holds the image closer to the bartender and tells him to, "Look closely." He asks again, "are you sure he hasn't been around here?"
Here is the twist. Imagine that you are the bartender and the one in the picture is the Messiah. Would you recognize him?
If you ask most Christians whether they have an image in their mind of what Jesus looks like, I suspect the majority of them would say they do. Furthermore, if they were to describe him they might say that he looks like he does in the movies or like the image depicted on the cross in Catholic Churches.
If the Messiah were to show up, and he looked like the man on the burial Shroud of Turin, most Christians would recognize him. How would they know he's the Messiah? I think most people expect he'd be surrounded by light and possessing a glowing quality.
Revelation 1: 16 -- "He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
If you ask most Jews, what they expect the Messiah to look like I'm not sure that there would be a common answer. I doubt most Jews would be able to describe what the Messiah looks like. I suspect they would be very reluctant to say, "he'll look like Jesus."
So this begs a question which would probably get a very different response from a Christian versus a Jew. Here's the question:
If the Messiah showed up today and he not only looked like Jesus but was Jesus would you be happy or disappointed?
Conversely I would ask the question the opposite way:
If the Messiah showed up today and he didn't look like Jesus and in fact was not Jesus would you be happy or disappointed?
Now I want to get back to where I started this article. Imagine that it really is Jesus imprinted on the Shroud of Turin. That being the case, we know what Jesus looked like. In fact we have an excellent image of his entire body from head to toe, front and back. Jesus's image can be recreated in precise detail.
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| Image created based on the Shroud |
What if the image that the police investigator showed the bartender was this image of Jesus based on the Shroud? The "sign of Jonah" is the image that lets us recognize Jesus. And it's the image that Christians have had in their head for thousands of years. When he comes back the Christian will recognize him, the Christian will know him. But what about the Jew?
As a Jew I have some thoughts on what fellow Jews will think and feel if the Messiah arrives and he is the prophet they rejected. I can imagine how they might feel knowing that we accused him of blasphemy and called for his crucifixion.
Psalm 118:22 -- The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
I also can't help wonder whether Jews would share in the joy that Christians feel when they see the Savior again. Would Jews be disappointed that we have been wrong for thousands of years? I plan to ask some of my Jewish friends what they think.
In contemplating the Messiah's identity and our potential reactions, we are reminded of the profound concept of the "One New Man" as described in Ephesians. This idea transcends our traditional divisions, suggesting that through the Messiah, both Jew and Gentile are reconciled and united into a new spiritual entity. The Messiah, as the ultimate bridge between these historically separated groups, doesn't merely offer salvation to one or the other, but creates a new spiritual reality where old distinctions fade away. In this light, recognizing the Messiah becomes less about confirming our preexisting beliefs and more about embracing a radical new identity that encompasses all of humanity. This "One New Man" represents the ultimate fulfillment of the Messianic promise - not just individual salvation, but the unification of all people under divine love and purpose.
We must not lose sight of a fundamental truth: the concept of salvation. The Messiah, whether recognized as Jesus or awaited as a future redeemer, represents a singular path to divine reconciliation and eternal life. This oneness of purpose - to bring humanity closer to the Divine and offer redemption - is the true essence of the Messianic promise. Our salvation hinges on our willingness to step through the door the Messiah opens for us. This door, singular in its purpose yet accessible to all, invites us to look beyond our differences and embrace a shared destiny of spiritual fulfillment and divine connection.
Whether Christian or Jew, our reaction to the Messiah's arrival may reveal more about ourselves than about the divine figure we've long anticipated. This contemplation serves as a reminder that faith, at its core, is not about recognizing a familiar face, but about opening our hearts and minds to the unexpected. As we reflect on salvation - the ultimate promise of redemption and eternal life - we must focus on the transformative power of His message.
Perhaps the true test of faith lies not in our ability to identify the Messiah, but in our willingness to embrace the path of salvation the Messiah offers, regardless of how it aligns with our expectations.
In the end, the question is whether we are prepared to receive and act upon the message of love, redemption, and unity that holds the key to our personal and collective salvation.
Hebrews 11.1 -- Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
