On Ugliness

In the post prior to this one I encouraged us to look upon the ugliness of our Lord. This is a concept I have proposed to others and started no small argument over as well. It is a strange thing and certainly not worthy of any serious argument, but it is still a theory I've developed and will share now with you.

A professor once suggested that the reason why the two witnesses on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Christ was because He still bore the scars of the abuse from the crucifixion. I was shocked. It didn't seem possible. He merely suggested it but since this professor was a particular favourite of mine (a true genius of a man) I didn't want to let it lie either.

The Bible says there was no more "beauty" left on Him (Isa. 53). He was so deformed that there was no longer a human semblance to Him. Yet I always thought He would recuperate it. Then I began to think on it a little more. After His resurrection He still bore the scars on His hands, His feet, and even His side. Therefore, if He still bore those scars what is to reason that He didn't bear all the other ones as well?

When Lewis penned the Chronicles of Narnia he depicted Aslan in a scene of redemption as resurrecting from the Stone Table (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). When Aslan, the Lion, came back to life he returned with his mane fully intact. Of course the glory of a lion is found in his mane but still it is allegory. Simply because Lewis depicted the beauty and glory of a lion's mane being recovered does not mean that Christ too recovered His own beauty. As for His glory, yes, well, that was never lost. It was never even compromised.

Now we bump against something else. Was Jesus really all that beautiful? He looked human, in fact, He probably looked Jewish. That is not, by the way, a racial slur. In the novel The Shack they made Him out to be quite a regular looking human being. This too got me to thinking. I honestly doubt He would have been some super model sort of man in appearance. He clothed Himself in humanity. That in my mind speaks of humility, so I believe He also asked for a humble (not ostentatious) appearance.

So my argument is this: Christ was probably a "regular joe." The crucifixion deformed Him. After the resurrection He stayed with a deformed appearance.

How does this affect our relationship with Him once we are in Heaven then? Honestly, I think it will only enhance the beauty of Heaven. It seems strange to think of something, or rather, someone ugly being in Heaven. Yet I think that understanding the cost of that ugliness will only make Him more beautiful. It will also, I believe, make us more grateful.

These arguments of mine are not important. They do not make or unmake my salvation, and, I hope, they will not make or unmake my friendships. But it is, I think, an interesting thought, worthy of consideration.