Easter, Pictures of Jesus, and the Second Commandment

Like Christmas, this is the time of year where portraits and pictures of Jesus abound.  From the mini football with a picture of the resurrected Christ that my son got from the Lutheran preschool last week (which my other son promptly obscured with a sharpie marker), to Jesus impersonators in passion plays, the evangelical church is filled with representations of Jesus.  I do not doubt that most Christians are well-meaning in trying to make the reality of Christ’s resurrection hit home with people in this way.  However, it seems to me that the reformed churches need to speak with one voice (and certainly have in their confessions) that such representations of Jesus are a violation of the second command, “thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images…”

Now, I understand there will be many who will rush to argue that the second commandment forbids only the worshipping of such images of Jesus.  However, we must read the commandment carefully.  The Lord says, “You shall not make for yourself any graven images…”  He then goes on to expand upon the commandment by saying, “You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them”  And so to the commandment comes, very generally, in two parts–don’t make them, and don’t worship them.  Therefore to make a representation of Christ, since he is God come in the flesh, is to violate the second commandment.

Furthermore, to create an image of Jesus is, by the very act, to created a false image of Jesus.  We do not know what Jesus looked like, and the emphasis of the Scripture is not on what he looked like.  It is on what he accomplished.  And since we don’t know what he looked like the very making of an image of him constitutes it a false image, for it does not truly represent him.  This is the very thing the second commandment forbids.

Now, some might argue (and they have), “What’s the big deal?  A picture of Jesus is not going to turn my child into a blatant idolater.”  That may be true, but the big deal is that God has forbidden it, and we, as the Heidelberg Catechism so wonderfully puts it, “are not to be wiser than God, who will not have his people taught by dumb images, but by the lively preaching of His Word.”

It is through the lively preaching of his Word that our infinitely wise God had determined to teach and instruct us concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not images.  And so this is the question?  Are we going to claim to be wiser than God by using and sanctioning images of Christ in and by our churches or are we determined to worship God (corporately and privately) in the way he has ordained?  It is the gospel, preached and proclaimed, that is the power of God unto salvation.  Let us be engaged in that!