Christian Illustrators: Stephen S. Sawyer

Stephen S. Sawyer (b. 1952, Kentucky, USA) is a commercial artist, portrait painter, and motivational speaker. His most frequent portrait subject is Jesus Christ. Many of his Jesus portraits are traditional in nature, but a few are not, such as his "Undefeated ," which presents Jesus as very muscular and handsome, 
in contrast to many Jesus portraits which emphasize His gentleness.


You may find "Undefeated" to be unsettling. The reality is that Jesus was probably not handsome, He was probably very average or even unattractive in his physical appearance. He was  
someone who no one would have expected to be the Messiah. That is how God works. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." Isaiah 55:8.


On the subject of His masculinity, Jesus was surely not in any 
way physically effeminate. He grew up doing carpentry, a very hard, heavy, physical craft.