Jim Carrey, The Unexpected Evangelist

If you haven’t heard about Jim Carrey’s 6 minute viral video showing his newfound talent as a painter and sculpture, then you might have been hiding under a rock this week. Jim Carrey, I Needed Color, was featured on Vimeo this week and caught audiences by storm as he ushered viewers into his art studio where he has been exploring this new passion for the last 6 years. As closely acquainted as we have ever been with the primarily comedic actor, Carrey spoke so deliberately and intentionally about what painting and sculpting had done for him.
What began as a search for healing from a broken heart, soon catapulted him into a deep obsession with creating colorful artistic expressions of his feelings and experience. An artist exploring their own experience to seek inspiration is not unusual, but what Carrey says about his fascination with painting the face of Jesus will cause one to pause. While painting a portrait of arguably one of the most iconic figures in history, Carrey talks about what it is about Jesus that lures him into this intimate exploration of who He is and what He is to people all over the world.

“I wanted you to have the feeling when you looked at him that he was accepting of who you are. I wanted him to be able to stare at you and heal you.” Carrey goes on further to describe why his colorful portrayal of Jesus’ face is necessary. “You can find every race in the face of Jesus and I think that’s how every race envisions Jesus. They imagine him as their own.” Now there are so many reasons why what he said is just so meaningful to not only Christians and believers everywhere but to those that are still in search for that thing to complete them that is oh-so-elusive.
Carrey goes on to explain that he doesn’t really know what to think of Jesus. Is he man? Is he God? Did he really even exist? All of these are questions that many people battle. What’s so fascinating about this journey that Carrey is openly sharing, is that it demonstrates how God can take someone that doesn’t even realize they are doing His work and use them. For a believer, nothing can heal a broken heart like the love they feel while in the presence of Jesus.

Carrey wasn’t necessarily searching for God but Jesus was waiting for him. Carrey may not know much about this historical and religious figure but he knows that somehow Jesus’ eyes are inviting, open, healing…to all. A lot of things are open to debate in terms of the story of Jesus as it is told in the New Testament depending on who you ask. However, the one thing that every major world religion agrees on is that at His core, Jesus was a tremendous leader amongst men and selfless participant in humanity. I for one would do anything for an opportunity to commission one of these portraits and will have my eye out. In the meantime, we all will have to settle for the snapshots from this film.
