Normally the idea of the face of a significant religious figure appearing in a seemingly obscure or bizarre place such as a toasted cheese sandwich or a bathroom tile draws more suspicion than faith, but when Tammie Cohrs received an image of her MRI containing what she says is the face of Jesus, she was largely comforted by the experience. Tammie says she had prayed for Jesus to be with her as she combated a rare form of cancer, and received an image she believes to be an answer to those prayers.
Earlier last month a family in Budapest were terrified and convinced their bathroom was demonically possessed after perceiving a face they believed to be demonic in nature in the newly remodeled tile in their bathroom, and promptly contacted the nearest media outlets to stake their claim on the paranormal. But while the idea of the final battle between good and evil taking place a mere three feet from the couples’ shower curtain may seem a bit far fetched for many, the image appearing in Cohrs’ MRI may be a bit more inspirational to her and her family members.
Cohrs has been battling a rare cancer of the mouth, and was immediately amazed when the printed out photograph of her insides was handed to her. In an interview with local news station Channel 6 WPSD, she declared that immediately upon noticing the image in her printout she began praying. Cohrs described the event as hopeful and deeply spiritual for her.
The image appears to contain the nose, eyes, beard, and a crown of thorns of a figure in profile. Of course as this image is in profile there are several various interpretations of who it resembles and what else it could be. Still, to Cohrs there’s no mistaking the resemblance to the very figure she prayed to the night before.
Medical scans have had a long history of religious figures appearing in them. In late 2009 among the multiple Michael Jackson sightings, one woman claimed the late pop star actually appeared in her baby’s ultrasound. The image was added to a long list of appearances the star would make in the coming month.
And perhaps one of the most compelling images came not from a medical scan of any sort, but from Google Earth when it was discovered in July of 2010 that a face spanning several acres bore a striking resemblance to the religious figure.
And as is the case whenever a face appears that seems to bear religious significance, we must deal with the question of whether or not the image is sheer illusion or it truly is a significant miraculous image. Though it will always for the most part be left up to interpretation, the real story is the comfort it provided one woman battling cancer.
And perhaps the lesson here is both secular and religious – applicable to those who suggest it is significant as well as those who do not. That if we look closely in the most obscure or unlikely of places we can find synchronicities in our lives that seem to bear a suggestion of the incredible chance of the universe and images of what truly make us human. And as Cohrs took the image and decided it was significant to her spiritually, we too can look not just for the face of any one religious figure but for the synchronicities in our own lives that show how deep and meaningful the universe can be when we look hard enough. After all, can we not in the tiniest specks of matter floating in a pitri dish see shapes reminiscent of the stars themselves dancing in their own orbit guided by the unseen hand of the universe?