More Than First Impressions

I met one of my best friends during a summer internship. After a summer of working together, we had grown from just co-workers to friends. On the last day of my internship, she said to me, “You’re way more fun than I thought you’d be!” Apparently, her first impression of me was that I was very solemn, maybe even a little standoffish! In reality, I was just shy, a little on the quiet side, and taking my work seriously. Over time, as she got to know me better, she saw me as a whole person, not just an initial impression.

Nathanael might have also made a bad first impression. In John chapter 1, Jesus is getting ready to begin His public ministry by calling His first disciples. Among the first are Andrew, Simon Peter, and Phillip (John 1:40-43).

Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”(John 1:45-46 NLT)

Ouch! Nazareth was considered a small, insignificant town. Nathanael’s question was more than just a casual remark—it was harsh and dismissive. If I was about to meet Nathanael for the first time and I knew he had said something like that about me, I probably wouldn’t have been thrilled to meet him. I might have made a passive-aggressive comment, maybe I would have been cold and unkind, or maybe I would have refused to meet him at all! But not Jesus.

As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” (John 1:47)

Instead of taking offense at Nathanael’s words, Jesus praises him for his integrity. Why? Because He already knew Nathanael intimately (John 1:48). He knew he was more than his opinions, snap judgments, careless words, or mistakes.

The same is true about you and me. Jesus knows us intimately (Psalm 139:13, 16)! He is El Roi, the God who sees us (Genesis 16:13). In fact, Scripture tells us that every person that you and I meet was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and that Jesus died so that they might be saved (Romans 5:8). That extends to the person who you have a negative impression of because they disagree with you, the person you know has said something unkind about you, and even the person who made a mistake that negatively impacted you.

We cannot control how others think, act, or speak towards us. But we can control how we treat others, and we should desire to do so in a way that’s aligned with the heart of our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-36). Let us look to Christ as an example and treat everyone as a person who was lovingly created in Christ’s image, with whom He desires to have a relationship—because it’s true! (see John 3:16, 1 John 4:10).

When we treat others with the same grace that Jesus offers us, we not only reflect His love but also create space for transformation in their lives (Romans 2:4). Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to treat everyone with the same grace and love that Jesus shows us. And as we do, let’s pray that those around us would encounter Jesus in a personal way, just like Nathanael did, and respond with the same awe and worship:

Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” (John 1:49)

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.