The Importance of First Impressions
Sometimes when you meet a person there is just something about them that sets them apart from others. There are those negative people who impact us in such a way that we find it difficult to see their souls and the potential they may have in Christ. On the other hand, there are those to whom we are immediately attracted, and we want to get to know them better.
When God became man, He was like us in so many ways. He took on Himself the frailties of mortals, suffered like we do and was tempted in all ways like we are. However, the first impression He made on others could never be forgotten.
When He was only twelve years of age, He was separated from His parents, and they finally found Him in the holy temple talking to the religious leaders. The Bible says that when they found Him, He was “…sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers” (Luke 2:46-47). The first impression He made greatly impacted all those who heard Him.
The same is true of the impression He had on the multitude who heard the Sermon on the Mount. “When Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His teachings, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29). In His first discourse in the synagogue in Nazareth, “…all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22). Not all accepted His words in the city where He had grown up, and some of them sought to kill him by throwing Him over a cliff.
He left Nazareth and went and taught in the synagogue in Capernaum for several weeks. What was the impression He made there? “And they were astonished at His teaching for His word was with authority” (Luke 4:32). The story does not end here. Read the gospel account of His life. It happens again and again.
We may not always make the kind of impression Jesus did everywhere He went, but the very fact that we know Him impacts how others see us. Salt that is really salty and light that is not hidden under a bushel impacts all that they touch. The impact that His apostles had on others shows this. Shortly after Pentecost they were arrested and brought before the Jewish counsel. The Bible says, “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Think carefully about the first impression you make on others!