Jesus knew how to set boundaries. In Luke chapter 12 Jesus was teaching what Luke describes as an “innumerable multitude of people” when he was interrupted by one of the men in the audience. “Rabbi,” he said, “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
The man’s request was not all that unusual. People often called upon rabbis to help them settle legal disputes. Under the legal system of Judaism each heir to an estate was entitled to his property, although the oldest son received a double portion of the proceeds. When an oldest son didn’t want to cooperate many times a rabbi would be brought in to mediate.
What was unusual was Jesus’ abrupt response. It was sharp and forceful, and it was completely unexpected. “Man,” he said, “who made me a judge over you?” Everyone in the crowd gasped in shock and disbelief. It was commonly expected that the rabbi intervene, and for Jesus to refuse to do so was offensive and unbelievable.
But Jesus refused to be drawn into the family dispute. He would not be side-tracked from his mission, even to accommodate common expectation. He had one thing to do, and that is what he was going to do. Jesus knew he had limited time, and he had to make the most of it. He didn’t have time to involve himself in a family fight. He established a clear boundary, irrespective of common expectations.
This was not the first time someone tried to hold Jesus accountable to their expectations. The Pharisees often criticized Jesus for not faithfully following their rules. They disapproved when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. They objected when the disciples didn’t follow their hand-washing procedures. They protested when the disciples plucked a few grains to eat on the Sabbath. “Why don’t you and your disciples follow our traditions?” they complained. Once Jesus responded, “You make the Word of God ineffective because of your tradition.”
Traditions, expectations, and “the way we’ve always done it” can have a stifling effect on what God wants to accomplish. Someone brings us an urgency of some kind, pressuring us to delay kingdom work to oblige petty expectation. We can get so busy minding expectations and addressing petty complaints that we become totally ineffective in our mission. We don’t make disciples when we spend our time satisfying the demands of whiny consumers.
Occasionally we really need to stop and ask hard questions about the ways we spend time and resources. Does this bring new disciples into the kingdom? Whatever does not materially add to the bottom line needs to be eliminated so we can be more productive. We define what we are supposed to do, and in the process, establish what we will not do. We learn when to say no. That is what we call setting boundaries.
The man’s request was not all that unusual. People often called upon rabbis to help them settle legal disputes. Under the legal system of Judaism each heir to an estate was entitled to his property, although the oldest son received a double portion of the proceeds. When an oldest son didn’t want to cooperate many times a rabbi would be brought in to mediate.
What was unusual was Jesus’ abrupt response. It was sharp and forceful, and it was completely unexpected. “Man,” he said, “who made me a judge over you?” Everyone in the crowd gasped in shock and disbelief. It was commonly expected that the rabbi intervene, and for Jesus to refuse to do so was offensive and unbelievable.
But Jesus refused to be drawn into the family dispute. He would not be side-tracked from his mission, even to accommodate common expectation. He had one thing to do, and that is what he was going to do. Jesus knew he had limited time, and he had to make the most of it. He didn’t have time to involve himself in a family fight. He established a clear boundary, irrespective of common expectations.
This was not the first time someone tried to hold Jesus accountable to their expectations. The Pharisees often criticized Jesus for not faithfully following their rules. They disapproved when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. They objected when the disciples didn’t follow their hand-washing procedures. They protested when the disciples plucked a few grains to eat on the Sabbath. “Why don’t you and your disciples follow our traditions?” they complained. Once Jesus responded, “You make the Word of God ineffective because of your tradition.”
Traditions, expectations, and “the way we’ve always done it” can have a stifling effect on what God wants to accomplish. Someone brings us an urgency of some kind, pressuring us to delay kingdom work to oblige petty expectation. We can get so busy minding expectations and addressing petty complaints that we become totally ineffective in our mission. We don’t make disciples when we spend our time satisfying the demands of whiny consumers.
Occasionally we really need to stop and ask hard questions about the ways we spend time and resources. Does this bring new disciples into the kingdom? Whatever does not materially add to the bottom line needs to be eliminated so we can be more productive. We define what we are supposed to do, and in the process, establish what we will not do. We learn when to say no. That is what we call setting boundaries.
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