Through the ages,the facial portraits of Jesus have presented a range of characters. A recent book by Geza Vermes has taken 'face' in the meaning of the outward expression of character through an individual's actions, and the different interpretations of those actions. In his book, Vermes explores New Testament writings about these 'faces' of Jesus that have subsequently defined two millennia of Christian belief and speculation.

Sutherland's image is of the elevated divine figure of Christ presented in the most recent Gospel of John. From this beginning, Vermes takes the reader on a journey back through successively earlier accounts of the life of Jesus. He reveals a Palestinian solitary giant among Jewish prophets; an exceptional charismatic was transformed by later generations into the heavenly saviour depicted in the tapestry.