Jesus and the perception filter

I was just thinking about how in the end we will all see Jesus. 

Revelation 1:7

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

This came to mind because I was thinking about how Jesus is nearly always depicted as a white guy with long brown hair, and I tried to picture "actual Jesus" and couldn't do it. It made me realize, part of why Jesus is likely depicted inaccurately (on any logical level anyway, considering the time and region in which he lived) is to point out that we will recognize him straight away when he is ready to be seen, but not because there are pictures of him hanging all around. There will be no doubt as to who he is, but the question is "how is this possible?" especially in light of Luke 17:22-24.

Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other."

It seems that others claiming falsely to be Jesus may be convincing to a degree, enough to sway some to believe in them. If this is the case, but it is also true that everyone will see and know Jesus when he comes, it must mean that Jesus has a unique ability to make himself known, beyond scrutiny. Given this, it makes sense to use all manner of scrutiny to test any such claims of being Jesus, explicit or implicit, because in light of Jesus' actual return such tests will be useless, which is to say Jesus will pass them intrinsically and immediately. It seems that with any false claims though, a seed of doubt will remain in the skeptical observer. The presence of that seed should be plenty, as it cannot persist in Jesus' full, actual presence.

Along these lines, I think in part that Jesus is depicted inaccurately to draw attention to the fact that we do not currently recognize his face, and so some other means must be used to recognize him. I don't think this is done consciously in artists/society by any means, but subconsciously it seems there is some pull to depict him, and for observers not to object (at least not so vehemently that the depiction are ceased altogether) to the incorrect depiction of him, as a white guy with long brown hair. The ability I am referencing is most likely best described as a perception filter.

Luke 4:28-30

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

John 10:39

Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

Now these seem like they could easily be mundane instances of escape. Perhaps one might even claim that Jesus possesses an uncanny dexterity to physically avoid pursuers, but when I read it, it feels like something more. It feels like Jesus somehow clouded the sight/senses of those around him, so he could simply walk away. It was like even those looking for him directly, perhaps who had seen him only moments prior, could no longer recognize him- this is what I mean by a perception filter.

Then I considered the transfiguration in this context, and while two of these passages seem to be kind of like an instant physical cleaning and a sort of shining from within, the verse in Luke actually says "the appearance of his face changed." While some might say this could still be referencing a similar effect of brightening, could one still recognize Jesus if his face were changed more significantly? Could this be an indication that we would recognize Jesus by his light or spirit, not strictly by his face? I would hope so, given that we (at least I) have not seen that face (to my knowledge).

Matthew 17:2

There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

Mark 9:2-3

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them."

Luke 9:29

As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

Now the topic of doubt to the precise identity of Jesus is important. The next passage is one used by Christians to discredit the nature of doubt entirely, but this seems like it could easily lead people astray. Thomas had seen Jesus, whereas we (at least I) have not (to my knowledge, which I will clarify in the last section). Since we are to be wary of false claims, a very sharp blade must be used to separate doubt from belief in this case, but each must remain. We are to believe Jesus is to return, but remain skeptical of any claiming to be Jesus, this eliminates "false positives" when searching for Jesus. The fact that Jesus will be indisputable across the world when he makes himself known, and no level of doubt will remain in that state, eliminates the risk of "false negatives." So the fundamental thing that we must have faith in is that when Jesus returns, and is ready to be seen, we will know him in some deep way, immediately. This faith that we will simply know beyond doubt seems like it must persist even if we are unsure of the exact mechanism by which this "making known" will occur.

John 20:24-29

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"

But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

So to bring my point home, the most striking evidence of the perception filter I am referencing comes after his resurrection. These verses are where I am gathering my assumption that we will know Jesus intrinsically the moment he is ready, and not a moment before.

John 20:13-16

They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don’t know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher").

John 21:4-7

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, "Friends, haven’t you any fish?"

"No," they answered.

He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

Luke 24:14-17

They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"

Luke 24:30-32

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

In these verses are multiple instances where Jesus explicitly obfuscates his appearance, and even his voice. Even the disciple whom Jesus loved did not recognize Jesus' voice when he called out initially from the shore. One must assume even Jesus' mannerisms were hidden, because he explained the scriptures at length to his disciples on the road in Luke, and they had traveled with him and likely discussed the Scriptures with him previously for years. And just as easily as Jesus remained hidden from those who knew him so well, he revealed himself without question, in full sight. I feel this can only be explained either by a perception filter, or possibly shapeshifting (but even if it was done through shapeshifting, some degree of acting/voice acting would have to be used as well based on the different methods of perception (appearance, voice, mannerisms) that one would first employ in order to identify their close friend in each case). A perception filter is the simplest solution in my opinion, and it indicates that when Jesus returns we may not realize it right away, but also that when Jesus intends to be seen, we will realize it right away. The fact that each of these states is included in Scripture means that none will be certain before, and that none will be uncertain after, this moment Jesus chooses to reveal himself. This matches with the idea that we will find we are already in the kingdom of God, and brings me comfort, as I wait with bright eyes and a heart open along the correct lines only.

Luke 17:21

"nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst."