Isa: When the Records of Jesus' Followers Just Won't Cut It

If you were to take a look at the picture on the right, you will notice that the man looks awfully familiar. You will also notice that there is Arabic writing as well as a turban on his head. Oddly enough, if you thought that picture resembled many images made of Jesus, you're actually not far off. This painting is the Muslim depiction of Jesus, or as they would call Him, Isa. One interesting trait that I noticed abotu this picture is how light Jesus' skin looks, He's pretty much white, which causes some concern. Islam originated in the Middle East, very close to where Jesus was born and lived. It is shocking that a faith which was literally birthed and propagated from the same region as Jesus would depict Him in such a way. But, I must digress.

It is also noticeable to see how the Muslims have put their Islamic twist on how Jesus would have looked and dressed. He is wearing a a turban and is standing in front of what looks to be a mosque. Written in the top right corner, is the name of Allah in Arabic.

Now, it is interesting because Jesus is revered in Islam as a mighty prophet, who is spoken of multiple times and in very powerful ways throughout the Qur'an. Many miracles are attested to Jesus in the Qur'an, and most Muslims would interpret the Qur'an as saying that Jesus never died. He is a great prophet, and delivered the words of Allah to his people. One major difference between Islam and Christianity is that Jesus did not die, especially not on the cross.

When it comes to redeeming Jesus, and more specifically the "image" or idea of Jesus in the minds of Muslims, we certainly have a solid basis to work from. They have the concept of Jesus in their minds, however false and misrepresented He may be. We should seek to understand how Jesus is depicted in the Qur'an and in Muslim thought, and work from there.

One interesting concept, which gives Christians the upper hand in our presentation of Christ, is that we have a representative for our sins, who has given Himself for our sins and has guaranteed salvation for us. In the Muslim view, they do not have a mediator, and therefore they live in a perpetual state of uncertainty about whether they have done enough righteousness to tip the scales and be saved, and even then, they do not have full assurance. It is with this thinking that we should strive at understanding their perception of Jesus, and work from there to present the Christian view of Jesus.

While not spoken of, but certainly one of the greatest stumbling blocks to Muslims is the idea of the Trinity, and how Jesus can be God. This is certainly a tremendous barrier that we will have to overcome, but I just wanted to make it clear that I understand this, and will only be mentioning it in passing.