In biblical texts, there are no definitive descriptions of God’s or Jesus’s race or color in the way we understand racial or ethnic categories today. However, there are a few references that people have historically interpreted, or misinterpreted, to assign racial characteristics, especially regarding Jesus. Let’s break this down:
1. God’s Form or Color
Old Testament:
- God is spirit and without form: In Exodus 33:20, God tells Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
- Numbers 23:19 – “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.”
- Hosea 11:9 – “For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you.”
- In John 4:24, Jesus says, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Conclusion: God is described in non-physical, non-corporeal terms. The Bible avoids giving God any race or color.
There are also feminine images for God in the Bible:
- Isaiah 66:13 – “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”
- Matthew 23:37 – Jesus compares his longing for Jerusalem to a mother hen gathering her chicks.
2. Jesus’s Ethnic and Geographic Origin
Historically and Biblically accurate:
- Jesus was a Jewish man born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, both in the region of ancient Judea, now part of modern day Israel/Palestine.
- That makes him a Middle Eastern Semite, likely with olive toned skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, not white, as often depicted in European art.
Scriptural support:
- Matthew 1 and Luke 3 trace Jesus’s lineage to Abraham, David, and Jewish ancestry.
- Hebrews 7:14 says, “For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah…”
3. Symbolic Descriptions (Not Literal)
Some verses offer symbolic imagery, often taken out of context:
Revelation 1:14–15
“The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace…”
- Important context: This is apocalyptic symbolic language, not a literal portrait.
- The “hair like wool” is often interpreted metaphorically, white in color, not necessarily texture or ethnicity.
- “Feet like bronze” might symbolize strength, judgment, or glory, not skin color.
4. The Misuse of Color in Racial Narratives
Historically, people have used the absence or presence of certain metaphors in the Bible to racialize Jesus for political or colonial purposes, especially in Western Europe and America. White depictions of Jesus in Renaissance art reinforced Eurocentric ideologies, but they are artistic, not biblical.
5. Universal Teaching: Beyond Race
The core message of Jesus’s teaching and embodiment in scripture is not tied to racial identity:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7
In Summary:
- God has no race or color in the Bible.
- Jesus was ethnically Jewish, likely with Middle Eastern features.
- Any depiction of color is symbolic, not literal.
- Biblical emphasis is on spirit, heart, and righteousness, not race.
If you’re exploring this in a spiritual context, this may echo a deeper truth across traditions: the Divine transcends form, and our tendency to box God or prophets into our image often reflects our own needs and projections, not sacred reality. In fact, at least when it comes to God, the bible never even explicitly says ‘God’ is a man. But that’s for a different article.