Hippie Jesus

 Jesus Christ is pictured by most people to have spent His life here on earth in the physical form of a wimpy-looking, long-haired guy with a halo and a white robe. Where did this idea come from?

The halo is a pagan symbol that was used by the ancient Romans and other cultures for the sun–god. It then began to be used in official portraits of Roman emperors, and then gradually worked its way into pseudo Christianity. Needless to say, Yeshua/Jesus did not have a halo! 

The long hair comes from the misconception that He was a Nazarite, so let us look at this subject next.  

Nazarene vs. Nazarite

Christ was a resident of Nazareth. “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” (Matthew 2:23, NKJV). A Nazarene is not the same as a Nazarite! 

A Nazarite was someone who would consecrate himself to the Lord for a definite period of time, or someone who was dedicated to the service of God at birth and for the duration of that individual’s life. The Bible contains the stories of three such individuals: Samson the Strongman, Samuel the Prophet, and John the Baptizer. 

Numbers chapter 6 contains the regulations for a Nazarite:

 1. A Nazarite was forbidden to consume any fruit of the vine or other alcoholic beverage.

 2. A Nazarite was not to cut his hair or shave his beard.

 3. A Nazarite was not to go near a dead body.

An angel appeared to the wife of Manoah to give her instructions concerning her future son Samson. “Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:4‭-‬5, NKJV).

Hannah the mother of Samuel “...made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head” (I Samuel 1:11, NKJV). Samuel was dedicated to God from birth, and it is clear that God worked with him from a young age. Samuel’s mother had vowed that no razor would come upon his head, thus meeting the second criteria for a Nazarite.  Since she was aware of this rule, it is entirely possible that she would refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages during the pregnancy and that Samuel himself would abstain from the fruit of the vine for the duration of his life.

An angel appeared to the father of John the Baptizer. “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb’” (Luke 1:13‭-‬15, NKJV).

Yeshua was not a Nazarite. He drank wine. “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Luke 7:34, NKJV). And again at the last supper He said, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, NKJV).    

Being that Yeshua/Jesus was not a Nazarite, it is highly unlikely that He had long hair. “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?” (I Corinthians 11:14, NKJV).  

Yeshua also went near multiple bodies in order to resurrect them. This was forbidden for a Nazarite. 

What did Christ look like?

Yeshua’s physical father was a constuction worker, and in concordance with common practice of that era, Yeshua likely followed in his fathers footsteps in regard to occupation. During Yeshua’s ministry which began at age 30, He was a Jewish Rabbi. He looked like an average Jewish man of that era.  Isaiah 53:2 affirms that He was an average looking guy. “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him” (NKJV). In Luke chapter 4 we can read the account of the local people taking Him out to a cliff to throw Him off, but then “…passing through the midst of them, He went His way” This could be the result of supernatural blinding of the adversaries as happened to the Men of Sodom, or possibly because He looked like the average guy. Another point is that He had to be betrayed with a kiss because the mob that came out against Him could not just look for the long-haired, wimpy guy with the halo. 

There are no details given about the Messiah’s physical appearance because we are supposed to worship Him for who He is and what He has done for us, not to worship the image of His temporary physical body. 

The Counterfeit Christ

So then, if this image that most people think is what Christ looked like is not actually what He looked like, then who is that individual? 

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16, NKJV).

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! (Isaiah 14:12, NKJV).  

Notice the similarities between the descriptions of Christ and Satan. It becomes even more apparent in the Young’s Literal Translation. “How hast thou fallen from the heavens, O shining one, son of the dawn! Thou hast been cut down to earth, O weakener of nations” 

We know that Satan has counterfeited many things including the Sabbath and the Holy Days, but there’s more! “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14, NKJV). Satan is called the “ruler of this world” in John 12:31 and John 16:11. He is called the “god of this age” in II Corinthians 4:4.  

Pseudo Christianity currently has about 2.3 billion members with Islam at about 1.8 billion. The “Jesus” that so many people worship did away with his Father’s law, and is a king of lawlessness and fake “love.” That sounds a bit more like Satan than the true Messiah doesn’t it?  

There’s no way to prove it, but wouldn’t it be ironic if the picture that many people think is Christ is actually what Satan looks like?     

“Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’” (Isaiah 14:16‭-‬17, NKJV).  

Just food for thought.