“His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14).

The only Biblical description we have of the physical appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ is of Him in His glorified body as described in Revelation 1:13–16. The four gospel writers tell much of what He said and did, but give us not one word of His physical appearance. This was possibly to guard against idolatry, but more probably because, as the Son of man, every man is thereby able to visualize Him better in terms of His own personal culture and individual needs than if he knew specifically what He looked like on earth.

In the Song of Solomon, there is a beautiful symbolic portrait that many have applied to Christ. “My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, His locks are bushy, and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. . . . yea, He is altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:10–16).

In contrast, there is the terrible picture given prophetically by Isaiah: “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men. . . . He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. . . . And we hid as it were our faces from Him” (Isaiah 52:14; 53:2,3).

Thus, one sees in Christ what He wants to see! But one day, we shall see Him as He is, and the way He is, is described in Revelation: “His countenance . . . as the sun shineth in His strength” (Revelation 1:16). One day, “every eye shall see Him . . . and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him” (Revelation 1:7). However, when He shall appear to us who love Him, we shall be made “like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:2). HMM