FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 John 1:47-49

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."

"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel."

We always hear that first impressions are incredibly important. Many claim that a job interview is decided in the first 30 seconds. Why? Because humans start judging others immediately (especially if we anticipate an ongoing relationship of some sort). And, due to our (untrustworthy) pattern recognition algorithm, either a perceived positive attribute ("That's a sharp looking dress shirt") or a negative ("Her hair looks like she just rolled out of bed") seems to be the first bit of evidence in what will surely become a chain.

In other words, noticing something positive inclines our minds toward finding another positive and then another. Likewise with something negative.

Jesus initiates His relationship with Nathanael by complementing him: "You are a sincere guy. You don't pretend to be something you're not." And with a minor demonstration of power: "I know you were sitting under a fig tree when Philip called you." 

Isn't it fascinating to see how quickly Nathanael swings from sincerely dismissing Nazarenes as "nothing good" to sincerely exclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth is "the Son of God"?