We can only know who a person truthfully is by what they openly do in front of our hearing and seeing.  We can listen to what they say they believe.  We can begin to know them by what they do, especially when challenges force them to reveal who they are and what they truly believe.  Sometimes we presume we know just by looking at them from a distance.  Sometimes we make assumptions based on what others say about them.  Even though no information is available with no previous knowledge we judge them.  This seems to be human nature.

“First impressions” are important as we judge each other in our world.  “You can only make one first impression so make it your best” the world teaches us.  Sometimes, I think we are trying so hard to make a good impression on those around us we lose sight of pleasing the One who loves us most.  Because of Jesus, a pure, intimate loving relationship with God who created all and is in all is available to all!  Now, that’s impressive! 

God knows us by name, knows our hearts, knows all there is about us even before we know it.  But we still go to great lengths trying to impress others.  Why do we do this?  This thinking drives us to wonder and ask repeatedly what is politically correct versus what is true and right in God’s eyes.  We are more impressed with what will land us that promotion? Who must we treat kindly to get what we want?  Who must we get out of our way to gain more power so our positions are secure?  How can we get others on board with our thinking?  There’s more strength in numbers, so we feel we must gain a crowd who will go our way!

As you read the following, who impresses you most?

Mark 15, The Message

Standing Before Pilate

At dawn’s first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate.

^2-3 Pilate asked him, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”

He answered, “If you say so.” The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.

^4-5 Pilate asked again, “Aren’t you going to answer anything? That’s quite a list of accusations.” Still, he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed.

^6-10 It was a custom at the Feast to release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for. There was one prisoner called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the uprising against Rome. As the crowd came up and began to present its petition for him to release a prisoner, Pilate anticipated them: “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” Pilate knew by this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned Jesus over to him.

^11-12 But the high priests by then had worked up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas. Pilate came back, “So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?”

¹³ They yelled, “Nail him to a cross!”

¹⁴ Pilate objected, “But for what crime?”

But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!”

¹⁵ Pilate gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.

^16-20 The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and called together the entire brigade. They dressed him up in purple and put a crown plaited from a thornbush on his head. Then they began their mockery: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” They banged on his head with a club, spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship. After they had had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TODAY?

Who impresses you the most? 

Who occupies most of your thinking? 

What do I do to impress(please) them?

As I read the following passage this word “impress” leaps off the page. We read the human nature way of the world as we read how the religious leaders scheme to secure their power by impressing the crowd to go their way.  I think the crowd is impressed by the religious leaders even talking to them, the lowly people!  These same leaders are working overtime to get Jesus out of the way.  So, the religious have given Pilate enough information with a plethora of false accusations to interrogate Jesus.  And what is Pilate’s response?  “Pilate was impressed, really impressed.”  But Pilate’s impression of Jesus soon fades as the impressed crowd force his decision to crucify the one without sin.  Merely being impressed with Jesus is not enough!

The soldiers are impressed by a Roman leader who throws them a human (Son of Man and Son of God) to mock, torture, and eventually kill for sport.  It’s what they do best.  (This reminds me somewhat of Daniel being thrown to the lions!)  But Jesus has a mission from God to save us and He will complete it. 

Jesus, Son of God, whom God is “well pleased”, will go through all the mocking, torture, whips with spikes to tear at his flesh, only stopped by the final blow of being nailed to a cross of rough planks of wood.  Jesus will do this willingly—as the Once and for all sacrifice for all our sins because His Father loved the world passionately. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

But there’s more… “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”  John 3:17-21

What is your impression of Jesus now? 

Who impresses you most? 

What or who we think about most affects the way we live, what we do, how we react, and most of all—who we worship.

Who is at the center of our lives?  Prayerfully consider.  Are we merely impressed with Jesus?  Or have we given our lives to Him?

Lord,

Thank you is not enough.  May I live a life of gratitude for the rest of my days here as I wait to see you where you are.  Gratitude grows us to be more gracious as we relate to others.  Your love in our hearts makes our love for others more precious.  Jesus, you change everything about us when we really believe what you did for us.  I’m not just impressed; I am eternally grateful.  I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul. 

Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul with your new mercies today, and restore the joy of your salvation work within me. Remove all that does not impress you from me.

In Jesus Name, Amen