Revelation: the white hair

 The White Hair


[Revelation 1:12-16 ESV] "12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength."

This is how Jesus appeared to John on the island Patmos. Last time I really focussed on giving an introduction to Revelation and I focussed on how we should let the pictures that are presented speak for the meaning here. 
When we read this our minds should not just be going off after possible direct meanings, but we should also focus on how this would look and what it would be like to actually see this. What feelings and what thoughts would it give to a person?
Today we will specificly look at the white hair like wool and like snow that Jesus has. 
He is described as having white hair. 
Now when we think of white hair we often think of old men with almost no hair at all. But this doesn't seem to be the direction this vision is going to. 
Notice how it says 'like white wool' and 'like snow'. This language we find back in Isaiah:

[Isaiah 1:18 ESV] "18 "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

So this whiteness is more about pureness. Christ is pictured as completely pure and righteous. Without spot and without sin. So don't think of an old man, but think of a normal person with just normal hair, but completely white and pure. 
This is what is being portrayed here.
No why the hair?
To kind of give orientation we will think of some biblical stories. Samsons hair was to represent his strength. Absalom was known for his handsome appearance and part of this was his hair (2Sa. 14:25-26) and it was a token of shame when someone would shave himself bald. 
Even when we just think of hair regularly it makes us think of that part of the head, or even the entire body, which really identifies our appearance. We try our best to make our hair look great.
This is what Jesus appears as. 
His appearance, His beauty and His character is completely pure and righteous. His life is spotless and when we behold Him it's as if we see His hair as white. 
What a contrast to us! Our beauty and appearance before God is but sinful, lowly. Our hair, so to say, is a mess. 
But Christ stands in our place. His beauty is imputed to us by His work. Our sins are made white as snow, not because of our works or change, but because of His white hair that is like snow. 
That's the white hair and 'handsomeness' of Christ.

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