A great rabbi of a couple of millenia ago once said, "...salvation is from the Jews." Can't agree more!
Because it is the Passover season, the Passover story in particular and the Exodus narrative in general have been much on my mind, The action-packed Exodus narrative of rescue and destruction has attracted interpretations through the ages, from a wide spectrum of worldviews, from Jewish to Christian to secular. Within its two interconnected themes of redemption and judgement, there are also myriad interpretations, some read with lenses of nationalism, some of progress, others of humanism, etc.
And for some, the Exodus narrative (with its climatic Passover event), cannot be fully understood without focusing on its main protagonist, YHWH. It was his act of supreme mercy towards the downtrodden and abhorrence of oppression that the Israelites were rescued out of the severe bondage of Egyptian slavery. From there, a course is set for this particular people to be the bearer of God’s redemptive love to all peoples of all nations.
In reading any narrative, much can be gleaned from minor characters and subplots, but the overarching thrust of the story is lost when the protagonist is ignored or cut out altogether.
In our willingness to embrace the many different interpretations of the Exodus story, compelling and necessary as I have found some to be, I wonder how much richer these interpretations could be and what deeper meanings could be additionally gleaned if the protagonist were rightfully made central in this pivotal narrative of all times?
I encourage each of us to dive into this fascinating Exodus narrative during the Passover season, allowing YHWH to take and guide us through his out-of-this-world story!
21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things."
26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."
John 4:.21-26
