Did Jesus' disciples have a remembrance of his image? Does this violate the second commandment?

[Daniel Silva Mendanha]

When I became Reformed, I embraced the Westminster Confession of Faith and it says that we cannot have images of Jesus even in our minds.

However, I remembered that Jesus became man. In its 33 years here, it has been seen by many people. And his own disciples had a memory of his appearance.

So it looks like the disciples will have to be to fit these mental images.

How to solve this?

(I don't know English very well. If something doesn't make sense, forgive me!)

 

[Poimen]

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Q&A 109 reads in part:

Q.109. What are the sins forbidden in the second commandment?

A: The sins forbidden in the second commandment are... the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever.

I do not think that a memory of what Christ looked would be a violation of the commandment as the divines understood it since, in that instance the disciples were not, to quote the catechism, "making" a representation of him.

I also think it is worth noting that those who saw Christ never described or taught others what he looked like. When they spoke of him they proclaimed what he did (Galatians 3:1) not his visible features (2 Corinthians 5:16). Moreover, they especially commended faith & love of the Lord which was not by sight (1 Peter 1:8 cf. John 20:29). So even though they may have accurately recalled to mind what his visible features were like, they were focused on preaching Christ, which was sufficient.

 

[bookslover]

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Q&A 109 reads in part:


I do not think that a memory of what Christ looked would be a violation of the commandment as the divines understood it since, in that instance the disciples were not, to quote the catechism, "making" a representation of him.

I also think it is worth noting that those who saw Christ never described or taught others what he looked like. When they spoke of him they proclaimed what he did (Galatians 3:1) not his visible features (2 Corinthians 5:16). Moreover, they especially commended faith & love of the Lord which was not by sight (1 Peter 1:8 cf. John 20:29). So even though they may have accurately recalled to mind what his visible features were like, they were focused on preaching Christ, which was sufficient.

Well, the biblical writers didn't describe what Jesus looked like. But I think it's safe to assume that many of the thousands of people who saw Him during His 3 years of ministry remembered what He looked like and described Him to other people. That would be only natural. And, of course, the original disciples/apostles remembered what Jesus looked like. I can imagine John in the late 90s AD - more than 60 years after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension - not just remembering but cherishing his memories of Jesus.