Did Jesus have a six pack?

Last year Holly befriended a couple of Mormon missionaries, while we were living in Texas.  One time we were chatting with them and I made a joke about how white the Jesus on their pamphlet was.

But we are just as guilty.  Easter week they showed a reenactment of the crucifixion at my church, and Jesus had a six pack.  Now maybe you know some historical evidence that suggests it would be typical for people to have amazing abs in that culture, but I had to laugh at the thought of Jesus doing sit ups.

And it is comical, but it is also quite scary.  The other day, somebody showed me an image of what Jesus is actually likely to have looked like.



Its scary because I have become comfortable with my images, I know the Jesus whose arms I would run into, I know what Jesus looked like when he let the little children come to him.  I know MY Jesus.

But what if the man above came and sat in my living room?  Would I be awkward around Jesus?  That scares me. Perhaps I need to let go of MY Jesus and open my mind to the 33 year old Jewish man who death couldn't hold.