By Beth Mears
Many wonder what Jesus Christ looked like. Did he have long or short hair? Was he bearded or clean-shaven? Did he look grave or wear a smile?
I don't have to wonder. I know what Jesus looks like. I've seen him. He looks like Jan. He looks like Sheila, Marion and Margaret.
Jan was the most hospitable person I have ever known. She and her husband took us in as newly hired trainees with a tiny daughter. She gave us a home in her basement while we looked for a place to live. She cooked meals for us, occasionally baby-sat our daughter and made us feel like part of her family.
Jan had a busy husband and two young children of her own, but she always made us feel welcome. After we moved into our own home, she lent me her vacuum because we didn't have one. When I was suffering from morning sickness with our second child, she gave me encouragement and comfort. She made me feel important, and I knew Jan cared for me and our little family almost as much as she cared for her own. Jesus looks a lot like Jan.
Sheila taught me to go out into the church and make friends and become involved in the lives of the people we served. She helped me see that I was not a minister's wife, but a woman who was the wife of a minister. I was a human being with all the same needs, problems, triumphs and tragedies as others. I learned passion and compassion from Sheila. Jesus must look like Sheila.
Marion was the type of person I could ask any question. She would listen to me, consider what I had said, and talk with me about it. She was a woman in God's church, and she had a voice. She walked shoulder to shoulder with her husband. She would participate in conversations with men and women, and draw each person into that conversation.
Marion taught me that I am allowed to have thoughts and opinions that are different from my husband's or other men's. She was interested in those around her, and fascinated me with her insightful questions and observations. She made time for everyone. Jesus looks like Marion.
There was a time when my husband, Don, and I served in a church area far from any other ministers and wives. During that time, Margaret ministered to me with phone calls and notes. She called when I had a miscarriage. She called when we had been in a car accident, and let me talk to her about how frightened we'd been. When her husband came for church visits, she would come too-- distance was no object--so I would have her to talk to. I knew she was there for me, ready to listen anytime. The face of Jesus is the face of Margaret.
So you see, I know what Jesus Christ looks like. He looks like Jan, Sheila, Marion and Margaret. He looks like all those people whose love and support have meant so much in my life. Although Jesus was incarnate as a man, Christlikeness is equally visible in women. Whenever I want to be reminded what he looks like, I just remember all those lives, all those faces--and I can see the face of Jesus.
Beth Mears and her husband, Don, serve the Big Sandy congregation. Don is also the regional pastor for the Big Sandy, Texas, region. She volunteers at the church office and enjoys sewing, interior decor, gardening and painting when she's not busy keeping track of two college kids, two dogs and one cat.
Nov. 19, 1996, Worldwide News, page 12
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