Jesus is not White
Aaron and I had dinner with a local Christian couple a few months ago and, while we were making dessert, they asked us in all sincerity what we, as minorities, think about the fact that Jesus is white. I pulled my sweater sleeve high up on my arm and replied, “Jesus is not white. In fact, he probably had a similar skin complexion to my own.”
We weren’t completely shocked that this Caucasian couple assumed that Jesus was of European descent, or the certainty with which they expressed their belief in his skin complexion. I feel much like Christina Cleveland, who says, “When I am in US Christian spaces, I encounter the assumption [that Jesus is white] so often that I’ve come to believe it is the default assumption about Jesus’ appearance.” In every picture Bible I ever read growing up, Jesus is always white. In every TV show or movie that I’ve watched, from The Passion to the History Channel’s recent mini-series The Bible, Jesus is white. In most of the Western world, Jesus is white.
However, Jesus is not white, and he is certainly not a Savior for the white man only. Nor is he a black Jesus as James Cone suggests in Black Theology & Black Power. Rather, as Cleveland also suggests, “Jesus of Nazareth likely had a darker complexion than we imagine, not unlike the olive skin common among Middle Easterners today”. Princeton biblical scholar James Charlesworth goes so far as to say Jesus was “most likely dark brown and sun-tanned.”
Understanding Jesus’ skin color has important theological ramifications, like our ability to honor (or dishonor) the image of God in people who aren’t white. But it’s also important to realize that Jesus, our King, transcends skin color too. For he is a king for all people.
The Worshipers in Matthew 2 are not White
In Matthew 2, the gospel writer quickly establishes the fact that Jesus is a king for all people through his presentation of those who come to see Jesus.
A lot can be known about a king, about a prince by who comes to visit him as a child. For all of human history, whenever a king was born, all the leaders under this prince’s future dominion would come and receive the child into the world. All the regions of this prince’s reign would send emissaries to welcome and pay homage to the new born king. The greater the kingdom, the more diverse the emissaries would be. It is in this way that much can be known about a king by who visits him. As readers we should have this in mind.
So, who comes to welcome and receive the child Jesus?
Surprisingly, as we read in verses 1-2, there are no Jewish leaders present. There are no Jewish emissaries sent to receive Jesus. No, the people that are present are Gentiles. Those who have come to welcome Jesus are magi from the east.
We are not told exactly how many magi are present or even where they came from. We just know that magi have traveled great distances to see Jesus.
Now these wise men, these magi are Gentile men interested in dreams, astrology, and magic. They are most certainly pagan Gentiles who do not believe in the God of the OT. The reason they set out to search for this newborn King is because they saw a star in the night sky. This may seem very strange to us. But to these pagan magi, wonders in the night sky signified important events among humans.
More specifically, unusual activity in the sky meant that a king was born. The birth of a king was linked to some strange phenomenon and, since some new phenomenon has taken place, the magi suppose that a king is born and they want to go see him. Even though these magi do not believe in the God of the OT, God Almighty is giving a foretaste of what is to come, namely, that peoples from across the world are going to bow before Jesus. By sovereignly directing this starry object, God is providing a foreshadow of the type of King this Child is. I know this because of what happens when the magi come to Jesus.
Jesus is a King for all People
In Matthew 2: 9–11, we see that, while these magi do not fully know who this Child is, their presence suggests something profound about this Child. Matthew’s point is to highlight the type of king Jesus is.
Though He is of the Jewish royal line, Jesus is more than just the Jewish king. He is the King of the Gentiles too. In other words, Jesus is the King of all peoples. God intends to convey this glorious news by drawing these foreign magi.
This is good news for us all today! Jesus does not belong only to the Jewish people. Jesus does not belong only to Anglos. Jesus does not belong only to the middle class. No, Jesus is for all people. He is for Mexicanos, Cubanos, Brazilians, and Peruvians. He is for Croatians, Serbians, and Russians. He is for Nigerians, Ethiopians, and Ugandans. He is for the Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese.
We know this for certain because God led pagan, Gentiles, these magi to worship Him. Jesus, indeed, is the King of all peoples. We can celebrate this truth this Christmas!
Jesus is not white. But it's also important to realize that Jesus, our King, transcends skin color too. He is a king for all people! Click To Tweet
