John 11
God is Not One-Size-Fits-All
One-Size-Does-Not-Fit-All
Have you ever tried to wear one-size-fits-all pants? If so you learned that they usually don’t fit.
Mary, the feeler, wanted to know if Jesus cared - did this matter to him personally and could he help ease her pain? Jesus did not respond to Mary with another grand theological statement. Instead, John tells us he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled by Mary’s deep pain and anguish. Then we see how deeply Jesus cared with that powerful two-word statement: “Jesus wept.”
Meeting Us Where We Are
Jesus responded to each of these women based on their unique personalities and needs. Martha the doer needed Jesus to act. Mary the feeler needed Jesus to care. Jesus’ reply was not a one-size-fits-all reaction. Instead, he demonstrated his love by meeting each sister at her point of greatest need.
What does this mean to us today? First, isn’t it a blessing to realize that God loves us individually? He is not a one- size-fits-all God. Even though He is the most powerful force in the universe, God meets each one of us where we are. He doesn’t demand that we see things His way before approaching Him. He loves us for who we are, and gently calls us to Himself.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis tells us more about God’s non-one-size-fits-all model: “God has infinite attention, infinite leisure to spare for each of us. He doesn’t have to
take us in line. You’re as much alone with Him as if you were the only thing He’d ever created. When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you’d been the only man in the world.”
Secondly, in this story Jesus models how we should treat each other. In our fast-paced world, it is easy to get caught up in our own private domain. But Jesus calls us to follow his lead and love others by seeing and treating each person as unique individuals.
Paul underscored this call in Philippians 2 when he
encouraged us to have the same attitude toward others as Jesus and to: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility value others above yourselves.”
Maranatha
Andy
fits-all refers to a solution designed to conform to all
The idiom one-size-
shapes and sizes. Great idea, but not very practical.
In Chapter 11 of John’s gospel we find a potential one-size- fits-all situation as Jesus performed his greatest miracle when he raised Lazarus from the dead. But prior to this
astounding event, Jesus first ministered to Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary.
Martha’s Need for Control
We first met Martha and Mary in Luke 16 when Jesus visited their home, and we were immediately struck by the difference between the two sisters. Martha was a doer who spent her time busily cooking and serving. Meanwhile, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening and worshipping. In fact Mary is pictured three times in the gospels, and she is always at Jesus’ feet.
In John 11, when Jesus arrived at their village to raise Lazarus, Martha ran out to meet him and challenged him with this statement, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Knowing what we know about Martha, we understand that this was a control question. She wanted to know if Jesus had any control over the
situation and what could he do about it.
Jesus responded to her with his greatest claim of deity yet. He told her, “I AM The Resurrection and The Life.” No statement could have demonstrated more power or more control. He made it clear that he had complete dominion over life, death, and eternity, starting now as well as in the future. Later he proved it by raising her brother Lazarus.
Mary’s Need for Comfort
Upon hearing this, Martha sought out Mary who was still mourning at home, and brought her to Jesus. Mary
immediately fell weeping at Jesus’ feet and repeated the same sentence as Martha, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Same sentence but different sentiment. Whereas proactive Martha confronted Jesus about control, Mary was consumed by emotion and grief.
