After announcing that God’s Kingdom has broken in upon this earth, Jesus calls some fishermen to join him. And as they do, he shows them what it really means to live in the Kingdom. It’s a course in Kingdom Living 101.

If you recall from last week, Lesson 1 was about authority. That’s the logical place to start. You can’t have a kingdom without a king. And Jesus demonstrated that he had the authority of God. Not only in the things he said, but in the things he did. He was able to face down the forces of evil and send them running.

Now it’s time for lesson 2.

Lest anyone think that being aligned with the authority of God is all about flexing your muscles and showing everybody who’s boss, we see that it’s just the opposite. The Kingdom of God is about serving.

Once people learn about Jesus casting out demons, he’s a star and he can’t get a moment’s peace. They hunt him down. He goes to Peter’s house and learns that Peter’s mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever. So, he goes to her and takes her by the hand and lifts her up. As he does, the fever leaves her. And then, this next part is particularly noteworthy… the text tells us that after she is healed, immediately she starts serving her guests. Jesus lifts her up and she serves.

Well, then the entire city ends up outside the door. They brought everybody who was in need of healing. And Jesus went at it.

The next morning, he gets up very early and goes off by himself to pray. He needed it. He needed to be filled in the midst of all the demands that were draining him because he was constantly giving himself in service to others. And as we read on in Mark’s gospel, we see how it never ends.

What kind of a king is this? One with the authority of God. And yet, he didn’t come to be served, but to serve. He’s the kind of king who knelt at the feet of his friends and scrubbed the filth from between their smelly toes. He’s the one the early Christians sang about in a hymn Paul gives us in his letter to the Philippians: “He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.”

Jesus emptied himself. Not just on the cross. But every day, as he gave himself in service to others. Because he was all about compassion. And, quite simply, that’s what it means to be a part of the Kingdom of God. It means putting compassion above everything else. Compassion trumps competition. Compassion trumps the need to be right. Compassion trumps revenge. Compassion trumps following the rules. Because we follow the one who showed us, by the way he lived and died, the very essence of God. Compassion. God is love.

Be very clear, friends, about what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. There are some who would claim to be followers of Christ who don’t have a clue.

Personally, I’m surprised that more Christians aren’t outraged by politicians who wear their faith like a badge of honor but show little to no compassion for the sick or the poor. They’re more concerned with imposing their own values on others than they are with following Jesus. It might come as a shock to them to realize that Jesus didn’t say, “God helps those who help themselves.” In fact, no statement could be more antithetical to the life and teachings of Jesus. God does not help those who help themselves. God helps those who need help. Whether they deserve it or not. It sounds unfair. Many would call it socialism. But it’s the Jesus way. Compassion. Now, anyone can say it’s wrong to help people they deem unworthy. Everyone has a right to their opinion. But how dare they pin that way of thinking on Jesus! Why aren’t more Christians outraged by the way we hear people misrepresenting Jesus?!

Being a Christian certainly doesn’t mean twisting Jesus’ words to say what you want him to say or putting words in his mouth that he never said at all. We all know that. But what does it mean?

If you asked your typical person in the pew what it means to be a Christian, I would imagine some might say it means believing in Jesus. But that’s not what it means to be a Christian. Or they might say that being a Christian means worshipping Christ. But that’s not what it means to be a Christian either. Many might say it’s a matter of accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. But that’s not what it means to be a Christian either. So, what is it?

It’s as clear as it could possibly be for anyone who dares to crack open a Bible and do more than just search for verses out of context to reinforce what they already want to believe. To be a Christian isn’t about believing in Jesus, or worshipping him, or accepting him as your personal Savior. Being a Christian is something that you do. It means following Jesus. Choosing to live the Jesus Way. Imitating him with our actions. Serving with compassion.

And what is our reason for serving? Is it just because Jesus did it so we’re obligated to do it too? Is it because we want to be obedient? Is it because we’re afraid of what might happen to us if we don’t? Is it because we think we need to earn brownie points with God? Why would we choose to live a life of compassion for others?

The key to that question is in today’s gospel text. An unnamed woman is cured of an illness. Jesus takes her by the hand and lifts her. She is restored. And what does she do? She responds to that gift of grace by giving back.

We serve in response to God’s grace. No matter who we are, no matter what we’ve done, no matter how we may have failed to live in a God-pleasing way… Jesus takes us by the hand and lifts us. He heals our brokenness. And we serve in gratitude for God’s gift of grace.

As those who know the depths of God’s compassion for us, it’s a natural response for us to go and do likewise. And they’ll know we are Christians… by our love.