diff --git a/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java b/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java
index 5747575c..d76ede2e 100644
--- a/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java
+++ b/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java
@@ -166,9 +166,10 @@ public class JsonPath {
 
     /**
      * Applies this JsonPath to the provided json document.
-     * Note that the document must either a {@link List} or a {@link Map}
+     * Note that the document must be identified as either a List or Map by
+     * the {@link JsonProvider}
      *
-     * @param jsonObject a container Object ({@link List} or {@link Map})
+     * @param jsonObject a container Object
      * @param <T>  expected return type
      * @return list of objects matched by the given path
      */
@@ -176,11 +177,13 @@ public class JsonPath {
     public <T> T read(Object jsonObject) {
         notNull(jsonObject, "json can not be null");
 
-        if (!(jsonObject instanceof Map) && !(jsonObject instanceof List)) {
+        JsonProvider jsonProvider = JsonProviderFactory.createProvider();
+
+        if (!jsonProvider.isMap(jsonObject) && !jsonProvider.isList(jsonObject)) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid container object");
         }
         LinkedList<Filter> contextFilters = new LinkedList<Filter>(filters);
-        JsonProvider jsonProvider = JsonProviderFactory.createProvider();
+
 
         Object result = jsonObject;