For Christians, one of the beautiful truths is how Jesus lives in his Holy Spirit in the midst of his people. The indwelling Spirit directs and explicitly, not from a distance, changes believers.
It does not need an intercessor, not even a priest. Christians are invited, as with any human parent or friend, to confess their sins to God, to accept forgiveness from him, and to dialogue with the Lord as they might.
What, then, is a statue's intent or profit? Owning a statue of Jesus is all right, and if so, how should it be treated?
Jesus Christ
Warner E. Sallman created the most popular image of Jesus in North America in the 1940s. Similar artistic imagery has been influenced by his white Jesus, including statues of a slender, blonde Savior.
"Although this depiction "was inspired by a long tradition of European artists such as Rembrandt and Holman Hunt, a universal image of a white Jesus became problematic against "the backdrop of U.S. history, of European Christians colonizing indigenous lands with the blessing of the Doctrine of Discovery and enslaving African peoples."
No one knows what Christ looked like, but we know that he is not depicted realistically by the traditional statuary of Jesus. The works of Sallman and others before him have usurped very early depictions of a dark-skinned Christ.
Scientists have, however, imagined Christ's possible characteristics in recent years based on historical and empirical data derived from the Bible and external sources. "Matthew's explanation of the events in Gethsemane provides an obvious clue to the face of Jesus. Clearly, his characteristics were typical of the Galilean Semites of his period.
The face of Christ was reconstructed by Richard Neave, a retired medical artist from the United Kingdom, using evidence from "three well-preserved specimens from Jesus' time." Neave's reconstruction depicts Jesus with dark skin and large, heavy features.
References from Scripture to Idolatry
But even though the renderings of artists come closer to fact, Exodus 20:4 says, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything above in heaven." Jews were not allowed to make such objects and were certainly prohibited from adoring them.
God made no distinction between imagery depicting Baal or himself: in the form of statuary, none was to be creatively portrayed. Do not make idols, or set up in your land carved images, or holy pillars, or carved stones, so that you can worship them. I am Yahweh your God (Leviticus 26:1). Once again, regardless of what they served, God spoke against all idols, although he was especially concerned not to facilitate the adoration of false gods.
In the Old Testament, through a holy priest, one approached the throne of God, one appointed to the position, not through statues that "have mouths, but speak not; eyes, but see [...] ears, but hear not; noses, but smell not." They have hands, but they do not feel; they have feet, but they do not walk' (Psalm 115:5-7).
God does not want his people to worship these idols because "those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them" (Psalm 115:8). Worshiping something lifeless also makes one lifeless.
Israel was at war with their rivals, the Philistines, in 1 Samuel 4. The elders rightly sensed that they needed God's support to win the war, hard-pressed and fearing defeat. "But the way they sought help, which was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield in an act of "superstitious trust," they were wrong. "Instead of humbly repenting and finding Heaven, they resorted to tactics that were never embraced by God. It only mattered to them if it succeeded.
This was another form of idolatry and the reaction of God was definitive. "While the Israelites "thought the fight would be easy with the Ark of the Covenant there and did not try as hard," the Philistines fought with the courage of desperate men." Eventually, the Lord "did not bless Israel's superstitious belief in the power of the ark instead of the power of God."
The New Testament consolidates the commandment of God against idolatry. "As the offspring of God, then, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man's art and imagination" (Acts 17:29).
It is difficult to grasp the truth of God in us, with us, near us, but we must not object to him. And precious stones cannot equal the "exceeding value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8). It is personal and alive.
Why is it so relevant here?
God did not speak per se against artistry; he urges us to use our talents and gifts for his glory. But, when we use these gifts to create pictures of worship, he's concerned: Why?
1. Our trust must not be invested in artifacts. When difficult times occur, there is the urge to put trust in something rather than anyone. If an inanimate object (statue, rosary, cross) gains power in the mind of the person, the true, living Christ is substituted:
God did not feel obliged to bless the Israelites, as it turned out, merely because they took the ark into battle. He would not allow his arm to be bent by the Israelites' superstitions. God is a human, not a genius to be summoned by man's will.
2. Jesus was speaking out against religion. Usually, religious observance and superstition are correlated with statuary. A routine is formed in which, in order to please God, one says certain things in a certain order at a specific time.
"Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!" Christ preached. You shut up the kingdom of heaven in the faces of men. You do not enter yourself, nor will you encourage those who are trying to enter (Matthew 23:13-14). He doesn't want us to be purely observant; he wants our affection, our faith, and our modesty.
3. When we pray for statues, we want something to be done by Heaven. We try to control God if we believe we can get what we want by doing the right things. But what if our prayers are not answered by God the way we like?
Are we going to throw our statue and our confidence together with it? There is a very real risk in believing that Jesus' statues hold the power of Jesus and that God is not real or caring when they fail us.
4. Jesus came for all of us. Each community, sadly, wants to claim him as their own. For Europeans, this is not just the case, and not limited to ethnicity. Some groups have attempted to portray Jesus as a woman. Scripture makes a point of saying very little about the presence of Christ, but a lot about his devotion, goodness, truthfulness, righteousness, and compassion.
Without ever knowing how tall he was or reading about the shape of his nose, we learn about our resurrected Savior's strength and individual. The emphasis on beauty distracts from Christ's true reality, which, as believers, is also our spiritual reality.
5. There's a greater reality than we think. 1 Timothy 2:5 notes that "there is one God, and there is one mediator, the man Christ Jesus, between God and men." Christ is present and personal.
Via the intercession of a priest or a statue, whether it resembles the true Christ or not, we do not need to address God. They are both helpless. However, the risen Christ has vanquished our greatest enemy already: Sin.
And what about sculptures as decorations?
Perhaps a statue that is said to imitate Christ is actually an ornament. The person in whose house it sits does not believe for a moment that Jesus looked like an Italian model. Maybe his posture's peacefulness is pleasing, or the object is an heirloom.
What about a cross worn around one's neck or a t-shirt with Jesus? Do these, even though they do not reflect divine belief, offend God? These objects are mostly gifts, or have been inherited by relatives who are deceased.
They make a fashion statement, or maybe something about Jesus blends in with one's belief in world peace and good vibes. One will discover a tendency to hedge one's bets among some non-Christians, as if to please God if he is there.
"In home decor and fashion, some Christians see the use of Christian symbols as a "example of cultural appropriation, and one that kills the true impact of the cross." Could it be that "the empty cross, emblazoned with cheap crystals[...] could potentially cause us to forget that this is a sign of deep agony and everlasting love[? ]”
In "The Cross in fashion: Appropriation or opportunity?" Martin Saunders muses. That this "large scale piece of cultural appropriation" parallels what Paul did to justify the Gospel in Athens by using Greek symbolism. Since God can use anything for his purposes, even things intended to mock his Son, a courageous Christian can easily seize every chance to ask, "What do you think?" ”
The Real Focus
Not everyone agrees that graven images are innocuous, but one should not complain about their impotence and claim to have a negative influence as well. Statues of Christ are useless in themselves, along with other Christian icons. They serve the one we worship but, in their own right, they should not inspire fear or hope.
Jesus' corresponding image is not visual, but spiritual. Each instance of art supposedly portraying the Messiah offers another chance for those who love him to question distortion with reality.