Newscasters can deliver the most horrible news in the most routine way. But even the most skillful reporters could not smooth over the latest example of barbaric cruelty by the group known as ISIS; the self-identified “Islamic State.” I will not describe what they did to a Jordanian pilot. If you don’t know already, I urge you to put it out of your mind. Suffice it to say, describing ISIS as a violent terrorist group is a gross understatement; like saying that serial killers are sort of naughty.
A Facebook friend recently posted this portrait of Jesus, who in spite of a darkened complexion (the lighting perhaps), exhibits Caucasian features, styled hair and a trimmed beard. His bluish eyes do have a certain intensity and the overall effect seems quite dramatic. But you don’t have to be a historian to realize that this is not how Jesus appeared in the 1st century. I’m guessing, however, that historical accuracy is not what the artist was going for. And we can sympathize. It must be extremely difficult to create a Jesus that appeals to everyone.
“Most families where Jesus lived had at least one animal. Can you guess what animal that was? A donkey!”
“Really?” I thought.
Somewhat randomly, I had decided to find out what sort of lessons our church kids were learning in their classes. As I considered this so-called “Bible Lesson” about Jesus, I became both fascinated and amused. While I did not doubt that Jewish families in the early first century owned animals, the evidence indicates that poorer families could not afford horses or donkeys. The old story about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem on a donkey is pure fiction. The Bible never says anything about Mary and Joseph having a donkey after that either.
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