The Forgotten Face of Christ

Armodoxy for Today: The Forgotten, part 9 – The Face of Christ

Most people are able to conjure up an image of Jesus in their mind based on popular representations of him in artform – whether paintings, drawings or from movies. The longhair, parted in the middle, bearded man, usually comes along with a first-century outfit of a white robe and sandals.

Religious relics have contributed to this image. Most famously is the Shroud of Turin, the burial wrap of Jesus, which projects an image of him. Veronica’s Veil is another source for the image. During the road to Cross, a devout follower of Jesus named Veronica, offers the beaten and worn Jesus a veil to soak the blood and sweat off of his holy and abused face.   There, the image of his face is memorialized on that cloth.

Today, on the simple instruction of “Generate a picture of Jesus” to an AI chatbot, we receive a preliminary respond of, “bringing a sacred vision to life,” followed by a picture that more or less resembles what most Hollywood producers have asked us to consider to be the image of the Son of God, long hair parted in the middle, beard and all.

The Face of Jesus has been forgotten. I’m talking about the real face of Jesus which Armodoxy has presented throughout the centuries. It is the face that you see on Armenian Church altars, artwork and miniatures.

Jesus asks us to see him in the “least of his brothers and sisters.” His call is found in Matthew chapter 25. It is the face of the hungry, the thirsty, the abandoned, the lonely and abused, the homeless, the sick and the grieving.

Like those he refers to in this passage (verses 31-46) – those who did not forget his face – we may ask, “When did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothed you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” to which Jesus answers, “…Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

It is not a comfortable portrayal nor a pleasant image of our Lord, but it is the snapshot he leaves us with: the parentless child screaming on the sidelines of war, the hungry family suffering a depressed economy, the migrant escaping persecution, the lone man with lost hope as he mourns the passing of his last companion. These are some of the forgotten faces of Christ.

We pray, Lord, open my eyes to see the world as a place and opportunity to share your love with others. Amen.