Neighborology: Living Out Christ's Compassionনমুনা

Jesus Set Boundaries

Our Savior protected Himself. He had far more stress, far more pressure, and far more responsibility than any of us; yet He remained relaxed, joyful, and generous with people. His ability to care for Himself wisely prevented Him from becoming overwhelmed or burning out. Jesus’ lifestyle is a model for us. While He showed us how to serve others, His spirit of love and self-control was evident. He did not allow people to use Him as a doormat. Jesus doesn’t call us to be doormats either. By observing His lifestyle, we can see how to be better neighbors with healthy boundaries.

In His humanity, Jesus had limitations that He accepted in a relaxed way: like being in a human body that needed nourishment and rest and could only be in one place at a time; or like there being only twenty-four hours in a day. Jesus had personal priorities that He put over the needs of others—and He did so without feeling guilty. In order to care for Himself, He often separated Himself from people to be alone with God. Jesus’ lifestyle protected Him from burn-out and kept Him spiritually strong so that He could be merciful in His response to people, their needs, interruptions and crises.

Jesus did not overextend or completely exhaust Himself before finally taking a break. Instead, He proactively invested in intimacy with His Father, which gave Him greater energy and focus. Because He understood the need for physical, emotional and spiritual rest, He never burned out.

When people were demanding, He didn’t always do what they wanted Him to do. There were many people He did not help. And when He did help others, He expected them to do their part. For instance, the blind man had to walk a long way to get to the pool of Siloam to wash the mud out of his eyes (see John 9:7). These understandings teach us how to speak the truth in love and how to live within our personal limitations.

Here are some examples of Jesus' boundaries for us:

• Make time for personal prayer (Matt. 6:6).
• Be honest and direct (Matt. 5:37).
• Set priorities (Luke 16:13).
• Please God, not people (John 5:44).
• Obey God (Matt. 21:28–31).

Jesus set boundaries. He visited, listened and healed—physically and spiritually. He calls us to do the same. He calls us to develop servant hearts and to be good neighbors.