The world has always worshiped how we look on the outside.

All the way back to the Pharaohs, incredible value was placed on appearance in life and even in death.

In modern culture, it’s the entertainment business that is all about finding and portraying the right “look.” The styles and attractive features may have fluctuated over the years, but the physical value placed on beauty and appearance has played a very real role in society throughout history.

So, isn’t it interesting that when God sent His Son to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world (a pretty big “starring” role if you ask me), He chose for Jesus to show up looking pretty ordinary?

The Bible describes Jesus as not much to look at – which means that all those very beautiful portraits we have hanging on our walls depicting the image of Jesus are pretty unlikely portrayals.

Jesus was also a Jewish man from the middle east, meaning that more likely than not, his features would not have included light blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Now, this thought process might come as a surprise in thinking about the Son of God, but there was a reason behind this. God wanted to ensure that Jesus would identify with the majority of us. Hollywood beauties and heartthrobs are few, but there sure are a lot of us ordinary-looking folks.

Ok, but that was Jesus during His earthly ministry.  What does He look like now?

The Bible describes a sneak preview of this heavenly Jesus that three of His closest disciples were lucky enough to experience first-hand. One day Jesus led them up high on a mountain, “…and He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.”

This is how we will recognize Jesus as the Son of God in His triumphant second coming. And along those lines, there’s more good news for those who trust in Him; we, too, will receive new bodies – perfect bodies – that never get sick or tired, that never age or die.

Like Jesus, our new bodies will also be dazzling – even for us ordinary folks.

And that’s just one more thing to be eternally grateful for.

Written by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH