Is it wrong to have pictures of Jesus? Is having a picture, painting, or portrait of Jesus idolatry? We do not know for an absolute fact what Jesus looks like, so however you draw him is likely inaccurate Jesus is not a painting/drawing/etc. He is not made up of paint, graphite, etc. Worshipping an image of him would be like someone talking to and hanging out with an image of you, instead of you yourself.
Depictions of Jesus highlight a key shift in how God relates to his people through Christ. Banning all images of Jesus minimizes this shift and may inadvertently convey a docetic Christology. An invisible voice spoke the law of Sinai; a visible rabbi spoke the Sermon on the Mount.
To take away all pictures of Jesus as a man tends to diminish His deity, and actually inclines children toward Docetism. My point in all this is that pictures of Jesus don't normally result in idolatry, while the removal of all pictures of Jesus may actually misrepresent His nature, and hinder the proclamation of the Gospel. The controversy sparked in the eighth century persists to this very day.
Do images of Jesus really violate the second commandment? First, if the second commandment condemns images of Jesus, then it condemns making images of anything at all. What does the Bible teach regarding pictures and/or statues of Christ? Firstly, any picture, image or statue of Jesus Christ for the purpose of worship is in clear violation of the Second Commandment. In Jesus "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col.
2:9). Therefore, to touch the body of Jesus, to see the body of Jesus, and indeed to paint or carve or sculpt the body of Jesus, is to touch and see and artistically portray God himself. Others refer to a particular picture of Jesus as a reminder to share Him with unbelievers throughout the day.
These and other responses are appropriate, helpful ways in which artwork featuring Jesus can serve a positive role in the lives of believers. However, it is unnecessary to have a picture of Jesus to be reminded of His greatness. The question of whether it is permissible to have pictures of Jesus at home or in church touches on broader themes of idolatry, worship, and the use of images in Christian practice.
This issue is often linked to the Second Commandment, which forbids idolatry. The deep reservations about pictures of the Lord Jesus can be viewed from three aspects. Firstly, in Exodus 20:4-5, the second commandment forbids the making of anything which would detract men from the spiritual worship of the one true God.
A picture very soon becomes the object of worship rather than the One portrayed.