Did you ever notice that Jesus just will not fit into a box? He just doesn’t fit our preconceptions. John was astonished to find that Jesus was the Messiah (John 1:31, 33). The rulers of the Jews just could not understand his message (John 2:20). They were exceedingly impressed with his miracles, but simply could not understand what he was trying to say (John 3:1-2, 4, 9). Why was this so? Why didn’t anyone who read and were devoted to the scriptures understand who Jesus was (John 1:11)? I believe the answer to these questions is that those, who were devoted to God and the scriptures, had preconceived notions, about what God was telling them through Moses and the Prophets.
We see this idea brought to the surface, while Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:7-30). Jesus asked for a drink—a simple request, which could be satisfied in a very simple manner. Yet, the woman responded with laying out the differences between Jews and Samaritans. “You are a Jew; what do you want from me? Don’t you know we have nothing in common?”
In her response we see expressed the perennial attitude of difference in religious interests and customs, differences among the races, and how we each evaluate and address our world. In other words, you have your truth, and I have my truth—did you overlook the sign “Do not disturb!”? What right has this Jew to impose his worldview upon mine? What right have you to arrogantly imply that what you believe is preferable to what I believe? All this is come out of Jesus’ request for a drink of water!
Jesus responded that, if she would ask him, he would give her a drink! Now, this puts to rest the objection that Jesus is a Jew. He is atypical… whatever. Is he a Lutheran? Then he doesn’t act like one, nor a Baptist or Roman Catholic or Presbyterian. You name it—Jesus doesn’t act like the proverbial box in question. He is atypical! Jews simply would have no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:9), yet Jesus not only asked a favor of the Samaritan woman, he also told her that he would have honored her request for water had she asked. What is more, what he had to offer her, couldn’t be gotten by herself, just as she concluded he could not, by himself, draw water, because he had no vessel.
What Jesus offered the woman was the gift only God could give—eternal life—which he expresses as ‘living water’, and everyone, who is able to see that Jesus offers this gift, simply asks, and it is given. The woman, however, didn’t believe Jesus, for he had no vessel to draw any water. She still believes Jesus is trying to make her a Jew, abandon her community, her customs, her friends and family etc. She believes Jesus wants her to follow him and become a Jew and worship at Jerusalem (John 4:19-20). “Every Jew wants to reign over the world and despises all who don’t belong to his own community, observing his own Jewish customs.” Nevertheless, Jesus is the atypical Jew—Lutheran, Catholic, Wesleyan, Baptist etc.
Only he, a Jew, could offer the gift of God, but his Messianic power is not vested in race, human discipline or human authority (John 1:13). His authority is from God, who is over all! What Jesus gives must be offered to all! If this were not true, the woman would have been correct in her presumption that Jesus was only a Jew, who wanted to conquer her and change her customs, remove her from her community, friends and family, and bring her to Jerusalem to worship. But, Jesus is atypical! He gives according to the principle: “Whoever asks receives!” (Luke 11:9-10). We are not called to leave our race, family, friends or customs. Jesus receives us just as we are, because he isn’t who we expect him to be. He is, after all, atypical.
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