Can short people go to heaven? Do short people go to hell?
Introduction
There’s no doubt that much importance has been attached to height.
Ladies desire tall and broad-shouldered men to be their partners, and the media portrays tall men and women as the standard for beauty, thereby creating a perception that being short is a form of disadvantage or disability.
This reality is also prevalent in Christianity, where people believe that short people cannot go to heaven.
The root of this debate is found in Leviticus 21:18-20, where God prohibited dwarves from priestly duties.
Does that mean that short people are disqualified from coming to God’s presence and seeing His face, even on the last day in eternity?
Are short people cursed? Are they not qualified for salvation?
This article will answer these questions and many more. Keep reading.
What does the Bible say about short people?
The Bible did not say much about short people. However, Leviticus 21:18-20 which does address short people or dwarfism, has caused lots of controversies because it has been widely misinterpreted.
“For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.” (Leviticus 21:18-20)
The scripture above is God’s directive to Moses about priests who will offer Him sacrifices.
The requirements are only for the office of the priests.
Priests in the Old Testament offer sacrifices on behalf of the Israelites.
God is perfect.
Therefore, anyone who will come before to offer sacrifices to Him must have no physical or spiritual defect.
That does not mean they are rejected or are an abomination.
It only means they are not fit for the priest’s duties but can serve God in other capacities.
The requirement for sacrifice also includes the animals to be used.
Deuteronomy 17:1 says, “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish or defect, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.” A bull or sheep represents Jesus Christ, the perfect and ultimate sacrifice who will be killed for the cleansing of our sins.
Therefore, the Bible did not condemn short people.
Does the Bible suggest that short people will go to hell?
The simple answer is no. But to expand on this answer, we will consider the life and experience a short man called Zacchaeus had with Jesus.
Zacchaeus was not only a man with a small stature but also a sinner.
His profession, a chief tax collector, placed him at the forefront of cheating, embezzling, and amassing wealth fraudulently.
However, the Bible states in Luke 19:1-10 that Jesus entered the house of this short sinner.
Not only did Jesus visit Zacchaeus, but he also received salvation or a ticket to enter heaven.
Why?
Because of Zacchaeus’ desperation and willingness to see and know Jesus.
The narrates that Zacchaeus climber a sycamore tree to be able to see Jesus when He was passing through Jericho.
The crowd was great, and Zacchaeus’ height put him at a disadvantage. However, his determination propelled him to climb a tree. Jesus saw his effort and heart and decided to pay special attention to him among the crowd.
Jesus visited him and said the following to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9-10).
With this, we can say that Jesus is not a respecter of height.
Instead, He is interested in the state of our hearts.
Only those who have made efforts to behold and know Him will He accept and give access to heaven.
Also, Jesus did not come for tall or short people but all sinners.
Jesus has come to seek and save the lost, irrespective of their height.
Therefore, short people are not condemned to go to hell but are also qualified to be recipients of Jesus’ gift of salvation.
Did the Bible look down on short people?
Everyone is precious and special in God’s sight, and there’s nowhere in the Bible where anyone is condemned or discriminated against because of their height or look.
Looking through the creation story in Genesis 1, one statement is constant after every God was done with His creative word.
It is, “And God saw that it was good.” This statement is short but powerful.
It shows the completeness and perfection in every creation.
It shows God’s satisfaction in His work. It is also a sign that what was created was fit to meet its purpose of creation.
However, there was a slight change of expression after God created man in Genesis 1:27-30.
After man and woman were created in God’s image and likeness, He took every good look at the creative wonder He had just produced and said, “Indeed it was very good.”
As such, everyone created by God is not just good, like nature and animals, but very good because God put extra effort into creating everyone.
If this is true, God or the Bible did not look down on short people.
They have the same access to spiritual and physical blessings.
They have a place to reign with God in eternity as much as they are willing to fulfill the requirements of salvation like every other person, short and tall, young and old.
Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
Marvellous are the works of God. We are all special to Him and are dear to His heart.
Are short people cursed?
There are no specific curses in the Bible directed at short people.
Instead, those who disobey God’s Word and voice are under the curse of sin.
Deuteronomy 28:15 says, “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” The curse of sin and death is upon all who forsake God’s way and do evil.
However, everyone who is in Christ Jesus is free from condemnation. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
This freedom comes through obedience to God’s Word. And it attracts lots of blessings (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
Is height a requirement to enter heaven?
Romans 10:9-11 tells us what to do to enter the kingdom of heaven.
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
Nowhere height was mentioned as part of the criteria to enter heaven.
Those who must enter heaven, reign with Him for eternity, and escape the wrath of hell must accept and confess Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
The Bible clarifies that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).
We are all seeds of Adam.
We all have sin’s nature.
To be a sinner means you are condemned because the Bible says all sinners will die (Romans 6:23). We are all under the curse of sin, irrespective of our physical appearance.
However, God gave us His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross of Calvary for all sinners so that anyone who accepts Him will be washed by His blood and be free from the penalty of death sin has brought upon all mankind (John 3:16).
Therefore, what everyone must do to enter heaven is not to reach a certain height, but to forsake sin and embrace holiness and a righteous lifestyle.
In Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus, he did not only accept Jesus into his home, but he repented of his sins. Zacchaeus was a known sinner. In fact, the people who saw Jesus enter his house complained. “But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” (Luke 19:7).
However, Zacchaeus stood and publicly repented of his sins and offered to restitute all he had stolen from the people in his service as a tax collector.
“Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19:8).
That act of repentance is what made him receive salvation from Jesus.
We all must fulfill these requirements to enter God.
We are one body in Christ
In the Bible, there’s this cool part in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 where the Apostle Paul compares the Church to a human body.
Just like our bodies have many different parts that do different things, the Church is made up of people with unique talents and backgrounds.
And guess what?
That’s awesome!
Now, let’s talk about height.
Some people are tall, some are short, and that’s okay!
In the Church, it’s vital to treat everyone the same, no matter how tall they are.
We’re all part of the same team; everyone is important.
God made us all different, and that’s something to celebrate!
Imagine if a body only had one part, like only a big foot or a giant nose.
That wouldn’t work very well, right? It’s the same with the Church. We need all kinds of people, short and tall, to make things work smoothly.
So, let’s be kind and supportive of each other.
If someone’s feeling down, we all come together to lift them up. And when someone achieves something awesome, we all cheer and celebrate together.
The Bible describes us as burden-bearers to one another.
We are meant to ease each other’s pain and restore the confidence and self-esteem of a fellow brother and sister and not make them feel less of a human (Galatians 6:2).
The Church is a big family with no room for discrimination.
Let’s be humble and loving, remembering that we all have strengths and weaknesses.
Height doesn’t matter when it comes to being part of God’s family.
Remember what it says in the Bible, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
So, short or tall, let’s stand united, embracing each other with love and making the Church a place where everyone feels at home.
Final Thoughts
When it was time to choose the next King of Israel, God sent Samuel to the house of a man called Jesse. Jesse had eight sons, whom he presented to God’s prophet to choose from (1 Samuel 16:10-11). However, God rejected all of Jesse’s sons except David, the youngest.
The rejection is not the focus here but what God told Samuel.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Therefore, God is not interested in our physical appearance.
In fact, it is the least things He sees.
All He is interested in is the state of our hearts.
Is your heart holy and pure?
Is it full of pure thoughts and intentions? If yes, God will choose you and make you reign in heaven with Him, irrespective of if you are tall or short.
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David Akeju is a Christian writer who believes in the transformational power of God’s Word. His articles and books have been published on global platforms, and thousands of lives have been touched. He works with pastors and ministers, churches and ministries, and brands.