“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me!” A familiar refrain from the hymn written by Albert Orsborn. In what way can Jesus be described as “beautiful?” Interestingly, Scripture discusses the topic from two different points of view. On the one hand there are passages like Isaiah 4:2 which describe His beauty–“In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious.” On the other hand, Isaiah 53:2 states, “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” There is no contradiction to be found in these passages. Rather, there is a sense in which Jesus’ beauty can, and cannot be seen.
The beauty of Jesus is not seen physically. His appearance was no different than the average Jewish man. He was not tall and handsome, like Saul (1 Sam. 9:2-3). He was not born into a royal family and He was not wealthy. Jesus did not represent the things that were important to men. He had no interest in the social prestige of the day (Luke 14:7-14; 15:1-2). He valued characteristics like meekness (Matt. 5:5) and humility (Luke 18:9-14) which were despised in the eyes of men. He had no interest in being served or pampered (Mark 10:45). Even His death was unattractive to the eyes of the first century world (1 Cor. 1:18, 23).
His beauty is seen in His actions and the roles He fulfills. He is the Lamb of God who became the sacrificial servant (Phil. 2:5-11) and gave Himself for the sins of humanity (Isa. 53:5). He is our “merciful and faithful High Priest” (Heb. 2:17) who appears in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24) and serves as our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) and advocate (1 John 2:1-2). He is the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11) who leads and provides for His sheep. He is also our King (Rev. 19:16), ruling with grace and mercy and, too, our Judge (John 5:22) Who executes judgment in righteousness and justice.
The beauty of Jesus is seen in His character. Jesus described Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29). His is perfect in holiness (1 John 3:3). He is compassionate (Matt. 9:36) and faithful (Rev. 19:11). In Him we find perfect expressions of faithfulness
(1 Tim. 1:16), grace (2 Cor. 8:9), love (1 John 3:16), humility (Phil. 2:6-7), and mercy (Matt. 20:30-34). Jesus always did that which was pleasing to the Father (John 8:29). He was God in the flesh (John 1:14) and “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). Thus, whatever quality of goodness, righteousness, and holiness; whatever quality of the Light; whatever quality of God there may be, is seen perfectly in Him.
The beauty of Jesus is seen in His accomplishments. He did for us what we were unable to do for ourselves. He redeemed us from the bondage of sin and death (Eph. 1:7). Tempted in all points, yet without sin, Jesus won the victory over temptation and is thus able to aid us in our pursuit of the same (Heb. 4:15). He arose victorious over Satan (John 12:31) and over sin and death (Rom. 6:9, 1 Cor. 15:57). He destroyed the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). Jesus lived a perfect life (1 Pet. 2:22), fulfilled the Father’s will (Heb. 10:9), and has provided for us a perfect example (1 Pet. 2:21).
The beauty of Jesus is not seen physically, but spiritually. Our goal should be the reflection of His beauty in our own lives. Paul wrote that we must “adorn the doctrine” (Tit. 2:10), which is to cloth ourselves with it. Be covered in the teaching and example of Jesus. Doing so will enable us to leave a “beautiful life” (1 Pet. 2:12) which embodies and exemplifies the teachings and example of New Testament Christianity before an unbelieving world. Truly, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me!”