Does any picture of Jesus violate the Second Commandment?
The answer is, "No." That's what Pastor Jeffrey J. Meyers contends in response to Peter Barnes's booklet, "Seeing Jesus: The Case Against Pictures of Our Lord Jesus Christ."
Any attempt to mediate the divine presence through an image is, indeed, a violation of the Second Commandment, but in this book Meyers lays out a biblical and theological argument for a limited use of pictures of Jesus.
Specifically, Meyers argues the historical Christ, if shown within a historical setting as detailed in Scriptures, does not violate the Second Commandment and may be of great value, both educationally and artistically.
Beyond the question of when we may use or enjoy pictures of Jesus, Meyers' book also sketches out a theology of art and the Christian imagination.
The "Answers in an Hour" series is an ongoing collection of short and easily digestible books written with the inquirer in mind. These little books provide brief studies of various topics of interest to Christians who seek instruction that is grounded in biblical theology.