Impressing God: Harder Than You May Think; Easier Than You May Suppose.

Simon Cowell is a familiar name to anyone who has watched shows like American Idol, The X Factor, and America’s Got Talent. He is the judge who’s usually scowling or looking totally bored. If you can get Simon to say something good about your performance, well, you may just be a star!

As far as I know, none of you have been on one of those competition shows and had to impress Simon Cowell. Still, we all have spent our lives trying to impress others—like when as a three-year-old you shouted: “Daddy, watch me!” as you executed a lopsided cartwheel. Who is it that you’ve been trying to impress lately? Your coach so that he’ll give you more playing time? Your boss so that she will give you a raise? That intriguing person at the office or school so that they will go on a date with you?

Rather than being concerned about impressing the people around us, we should focus on impressing God. Simon Cowell can buzz you off a game show, but God will determine where you spend eternity: in heaven or in hell. Today we’re going to learn a surprising truth: impressing God is much harder than you may think, but it is also much easier than you may suppose.

The events of our text take place in the temple courts of Jerusalem on the Tuesday of Holy Week. Three days from then, Jesus would be hanging from a cross. This was largely due to the religious leaders who were jealous of Jesus’ popularity. On that Tuesday of Holy Week, they were trying to trap Jesus into doing or saying something that would give them a reason to condemn him. Jesus warned about those leaders: “Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they’ll pay for it in the end.” (Mark 12:38-40, The Message)

The religious leaders had impressed people by taking the front-row seats in the synagogues, by wowing them with their Bible knowledge, and by offering long and loud prayers on the street corners. But they did not impress the Son of God. For Jesus could see into their hearts and tell that they were doing the right thing (showing up for worship and offering prayers) for the wrong reason (for show and for human praise).

Have you perhaps done the right thing for the wrong reason this morning? Have you come to church to impress your parents or someone else? For that matter, I need to ask myself: have I worked hard on this sermon hoping to impress you? Going to church and preaching a sermon are certainly good things to do unless they are meant to impress. Then they become hypocritical acts as hollow and worthless as a two-week-old jack-o-lantern.

Impressing God is a lot harder than you may think. God doesn’t want an outward piety—a fresh coat of paint on a rotting two-by-four. He wants a piety that is genuine and heartfelt. He wants humility as you serve others because that’s simply the right thing to do, not because it will add to your reputation of being a “nice” person. God wants this humility not once in a while but every time you take out the trash, do a fix-it job, or cook a meal for the family. He wants you to “hit it out of the park” just as every baseball manager wants every one of his players to hit a homerun every time they come up to bat. So how is your batting average for humble works of service? If you’re not batting 1.000 (“a thousand”), then you’re failing to impress God.

But that kind of perfection is impossible! It certainly is. And so you’ll be happy learn that impressing God is actually also much easier that you may suppose. Look at what happened in our text after Jesus condemned the religious leaders. He went over to where the offering boxes were in the temple courts and sat down to watch people put in their offerings. Jesus observed them with the kind of scrutiny the school staff and I watch strangers who wander onto our property during school hours. Only, Jesus didn’t need to wonder what the offering givers were up to. He knew because as the Son of God he knows all things—even the deepest darkest secrets that we have locked away in our hearts.

As Jesus watched, several well-to-do worshippers deposited large amounts of money in offering receptacles that were shaped like trumpets. A bag full of heavy, valuable coins poured into the opening must have really rattled as they careened down the chute into the offering chest where they would have landed with a pleasing and a repeated cha-chin, cha-chin!