In the text of Luke 9:51-53 the face of Jesus is mentioned 3 times, once in each verse. The face of a person can express several things. We can see when a person is happy or sad often we can see anxiety or tension, different emotions.
Artists over the years have tried to capture what they believe was the face of Jesus. But it’s an impossible task because there are no legitimate pictures of Jesus. If there were I believe people would worship the picture of the Lord instead of worshipping the person of the Lord. What I do know is that one day face to face shall I behold Him.
If we could look at His face today there are certain things we would see according to the scriptures.
Firstly we could see A FACE OF TENDERNESS
It would show compassion, kindness. In Matthew 18:2 it says ‘and Jesus called a little child unto Him and set him in the midst of them.’ The children came to Jesus when He called. Matt 19:14 ‘Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me.’ if a sinner, a person is willing to humble himself as a little child he will see the tenderness of his Saviour as the Lord saves him.
Secondly we could see A SAD FACE
I don’t mean He never smiled, I’m sure He did but there were many occasions when He was sad and it showed. I think it was a sad face because of the people’s unbelief.Luke 13:34 “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem which killest the prophets,and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” They did not want to know Him, because of their unbelief,they did not want Him as their Saviour.
I think it was a sad face because of their rejection.John 1:11 ‘He came unto His own but His own received Him not.’ Isaiah 53:3 says ‘He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief’: it was a sad face because He knew what it was going to cost them.
I think it was sad because of those who sought Him for the wrong reason. In Johns gospel 6:26 it says how the people came seeking, not for Him as the Messiah but for the bread like when He had fed the 5,000. We can see a sad face.
Thirdly we could see A STAINED FACE
It was stained with tears.
In Isaiah 53:3 we are told He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Looking at Jesus in our mindset we can see tears falling down His cheeks into His beard. Three times in the scriptures we read that Jesus wept. Jesus in His humanity had compassion in His heart for His people. He wept at the death of Lazarus, He wept over Jerusalem, when He saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion. A stained face, stained with tears of compassion.
It was stained with spittle
Matt 26:67 says of the priests ‘Then did they spit in his face and buffeted Him; and others smote Him with the palms of their hands’ think about this the Lord of glory being spat upon, the creator of heaven and earth being spat upon by His creation. Isaiah 50:6 the last part of the verse says ‘i hid not my face from shame and spitting’. The Roman soldiers Matt 27:30 ‘And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head.’ A part of the price He, the Son of God had to pay.
It was a stained face with blood
Isaiah 50:6 says ‘ I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting’. Being a Jew Jesus had full beard. Leviticus 19:27 As part of His torment they bitterly snatched the hair from His face where they pulled His hair out the blood would flow what a reproach to His Jewishness. Isaiah 52:14 says ‘as many were astonied at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men’s. His face was so blooded it looked horrific. He did not look human hanging there on that cross. The crown of thorns that was forced onto His head had thorns that would be one and a half inches long. And when they stuck that crown on you you bled and it hurt.
So now we have the Saviour, the Son of God hanging and His face is disfigured stained with spittle with blood and with tears, unrecognisable in agony.
Fourthly it was A SMITTEN FACE
He was smitten by man
Matt 27:30 ‘and they the (soldiers) spit upon Him and took the reed, and smote upon the head
Matt 26:67 the priests buffeted Him slapped Him. The soldiers demanding their sport flogged him and mocked Him and bludgeoned Him until he became unrecognisable as a man. Then they crucified Him.
He was smitten by God.
Jesus hung on the cross smitten by man, the sins of all the ages were placed on Him. God looked from heaven and witnessed that scene of all the worlds guilt being laid upon His only Son. The thing is Jesus Christ was not only smitten by man but was also smitten by God. Smitten by God Isaiah 53:4 says’ surely He hath borne our briefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, SMITTEN OF GOD, AND AFFLICTED’. Verse 6 says ‘and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all’. Verse 10 says ‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief; when THOU shalt make his soul an offering for sin. Smitten of God why Jon 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world’. It was a smitten face smitten of God.
Fifthly it was a SET FACE
LUKE 9:51 Says ‘And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus knew what was coming but we can see He was determined to fulfil His Father’s will. He knew the cross He knew the nails, He knew the lash, He knew the thorns, He knew the spear, He knew everything that was to come but still he set his face to go. Because of His love, because of the Father’s love Jesus gave Himself. Thank the Lord for the cross of Christ a victory not a tragedy. Because of the cross I am saved. Are you?
God bless
Michael Whitehouse