Boundaries Jesus crossed.

[Rev. Sham P Thomas]

Jesus is an eternal boundary breaker. First by his incarnation and then by his ministry of preference for sinners rather than for the righteous.The boundaries that Jesus broken are (in John 4)

1. Geographical: (John 4:3-4) He always used to the less traveled path. Samaria was not a short cut. But he just had to go. (This is mentioned in the following verses from John: 3:14, 9:4, 10:16, 12:34, 20:9 and 4:20,24.) He came not only for the people of Israel but also to the people marginalised and despised. (Mark 7:24-30)
2. Racial: (John 4:4-6) Jews didn't come in contact with Samaritans, whereas Jesus came to a Samaritan woman for water.
3. Social: Jesus gave alternative narrations. He crossed boundaries through stories. He gave a story about Samaritans as models of faith and carriers of faith. Jesus brought out alternative actions. He touched and ate with the untouchables. Finally Jesus made himself vulnerable in front of an untouchable by allowing an untouchable to touch him. He lived with the untouchables for two days.
4. Gender: (John 4:27) The disciples were surprised to see Jesus talking to an woman. She was an exploited woman. She was married 5 times (may be divorced each time) and a man is now imposing himself on her without a named relationship. This Samaritan woman became a successful apostle. She brought the entire village to Jesus. She is placed above the Jew (Nicodemus) who came to Jesus in the dark.
5. Religious: (John 4:20-26) The Samaritan woman wanted to know the right place for worship. Jesus tells her that there is no such place. (In Rev 21-22, we see that there is no temple in Heaven.)

Jesus was not a rebel, He was a revolutionary. Our society tolerates a rebel, but not a revolutionary. His revolution was to move from religion to spirituality.

There were risk involved for Jesus by crossing these boundaries. He was called a Samaritan (John 8:48). The irony being "The one who crossed the boundaries was crucified outside the boundary".