Perhaps we have all seen paintings of what Jesus must have looked like, most notably in pictures of “The Last Supper” with Jesus and His disciples. In all of them He is pictured with LONG HAIR and a BEARD and is quite TALL. But the truth is we have no idea exactly what Jesus looked like but it is highly unlikely that He had “long hair” and that He was “tall and handsome.” Regarding His hair, most Jewish men had “short hair” that resembled the leaders of the Roman Government who ruled over the Jews. All the coins with an imprint of the Roman Emperor (Caesar) of that day showed Caesar with short hair. This is also borne out in various writings, such as “A History of the Holy Land” where pictures of famous leaders (Augustus, Pompey, et al.) are shown with short hair. Add to this the carvings and statues of famous men, for they are all seen with short hair. We know that Jesus’ hair had to be like other men else based on Matthew 26:47-49, “And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elder of the people. Now His betrayer had GIVEN THEM A SIGN, saying, ‘WHOEVER I KISS, He is the One; seize Him.’ Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and KISSED HIM.” Surely if Jesus had long hair, there would have been no need for Judas to give the multitude this sign to point Him out to His enemies, for He would have stood out from the crowd. I also believe the same could be said of His height, for many artists portray Him as being very tall yet Jewish men were quite short. Again, if Jesus had been tall, He would have literally “stood out from the crowd” and Judas would not have needed to kiss Him to point Him out.

What does Jesus look like today and can we see Him today? We know from Scripture that after Jesus died and rose again His appearance had changed yet He was still recognizable to those who had seen Him before His death and resurrection. I would encourage you to read Luke 24:13-53 where Jesus appeared to two believers and then to the eleven apostles (Judas had already committed suicide). At first, they did not know Him but after He showed them His HANDS and FEET and SIDE, they saw the nail prints from the crucifixion and the wound from the spear that pierced His side and realized it was their blessed Lord (see verses 30-31 and 36-40 with John 20:19-20). He still had a human body yet we know it was now a “glorified body” that could pass through walls (John 20:19). After He ascended back to heaven no believer has seen Jesus on earth. All believers will one day see Him and have a glorified body like the Lord Jesus. We see this clearly Philippians 3:20-21, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be CONFORMED TO HIS GLORIOUS BODY, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” But until that glorious day when Jesus returns to take all believers home to heaven with glorified bodies, we are NOT able to see Jesus. Our blessed HOPE is to hear His blessed shout summoning us to glory (see 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18) and the moment we SEE JESUS we will be LIKE HIM. How do we know this? Ah, because God’s Word proclaims this marvelous truth in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS.”

I want to add that we will also SEE JESUS in His Divine Glory as the eternal Son of God (John 17:24). The Apostle John saw this in his vision on the isle of Patmos (see Revelation 1:9-18). Jesus had asked the Father before His death, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). The glory of His Deity had been veiled on earth but in heaven it will shine forth for all to see. We will “NOT be like Him” when we see Him in His intrinsic glory as God, for we will never take on the attributes of God.  (DO)  (640.1)