The blind man Bartimaeus didn’t listen to others, who tried to shut him up when he heard Jesus was going by. “But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Mark 10:46-52) (Please Click on “source” to read the whole post. If you know how to stop my posts from truncating, I welcome your help. John Parker)

  • Jesus to Mary his mother when she brought of the need for wine at the wedding, “What is this between me and you?” (John 2:4) Jesus set a boundary.
  • Martha was distracted and interrupted Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” (Luke 10:40) Jesus set a boundary. 
  • When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:21-22) Jesus set a boundary.
  • But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:23) Jesus set a boundary.

All these distractions came from well-meaning people who were creating distraction for Jesus or the Kingdom, and with each of these, his dear friends and a relative, he set a boundary.

This is assertiveness Jesus-style. Jesus taught, “Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.” (Matthew 5:37).