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THE GOD WHO COULDN'T KEEP A SECRET Mark 7:24 NLT � TONY LLOYD LEWIS � 24 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a secret. � � In this seventh chapter of the gospel as recorded by Saint Mark we find the first and only time (in recorded history) that Jesus had left his home region during his adult life. You remember that when he was baby Jesus that his mother Mary and her husband Joseph took him and fled to Egypt because Herod the Great was looking for him to kill him. � However, when Herod died, they returned to the then Palestinian Region and there he spent the rest of his earthly life except for the this one trip to the borders of the twin cities called Tyre and Sidon. Now the Master had traveled to many other cities. He had been to Nazareth, where he was brought up. He had been to Cana, where he had turned water to wine. He had been to Bethsaida, Philip's hometown, where he fed the multitude with loaves and fishes. He had been to Gadara where he had cast the demons call legion out of a man. He had been as far north as Caesarea Philippi, where�� Peter made the great confession of faith, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." � However, the one thing these cities had in common were that they were all located in Palestine. And all these cities were basically Jewish cities. Tyre and Sidon on the other hand were gentile cities . . . cities where the majority of the population was non-Jewish. While on the borders of these two coastal cities Tyre and Sidon, the Master instructed Judas to disburse some funds from the treasury so that they could rent a house. � Now that may sound strange because some folk like to think that because Jesus never bought a house that he was poor and penniless. But that is not the case. His ministry not only generated funds for his own personal needs, but he also had a full time staff with 12 assistants and some of the disciples had families to support. When they gave up their livelihood to follow the Master and become his disciples, he not only took care of them, but he also became responsible for their families. � James and John the sons of Zebedee were in the fishing business with their father, Zebedee and Sons' Inc. But the Master came by one day and said, "Drop your nets boys you are no longer in the trout catching business. You fish for me now. And I fish for souls." � Levi, Alphaeus son, who they called Matthew the tax collector. He was sitting in his office collecting taxes. The Master stopped by and said, "Follow me" Matthew just got up and followed Jesus. He did not even give the IRS his two weeks notice. � Another reason why I know that Jesus was not a penniless prophet was because Judas was embezzling funds from the treasure. He had been stealing for a long time before anybody found out.� And if they had only two or three dollars, it would be easy to miss that. Well now, where did Jesus get money from in the first place in order to have a treasure? According to Luke 8, the people whom he ministered unto shared their substance with him. � In Tyre the Master wanted a place where he and his disciples could spend sometime in private. He did not want anybody to know where they were but the bible says he could not be hidden. He was the 'inconcealable' Christ. The purpose of the Master's trip to the gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon was to get away from the critical opposition of the Jewish leaders. He needed that time alone with his disciples so that he could prepare them for Calvary. Being human, as well as divine, he grew weary and worn. Bible readers who have studied the ministry of the Master know that his ministry was met with constant resistance. � The Pharisees and the other religious rulers continually followed him around. Their one purpose was to rip him up and discredit him before the people. When they were not following him, they had their spies follow him. Eventually, that kind of opposition will cause you to grow weary, and the human Jesus had to get away for a while. The religious rulers were constantly trying to find fault in him. They were constantly trying to turn the people away from him. They called him a wine head, a glutton, they said he was inhospitable and when he was friendly they accused him of being friendly with wrong kind of folk. � When he would do miracles, they would call him a devil. When he would teach in the synagogues they would call a meeting on him and discuss how to get rid of him for good. Eventually, that kind of opposition will cause you to grow weary, and the human Jesus just had to get away for a while. In Tyre and Sidon he would be free from the pressures of the pharisees for a while because they would not set foot on gentile soil. They had too much religion to be found among gentiles. � Another thing bible readers will pick up on is that wherever the Master went, he was soon followed by what the bible calls a great multitude. And after constantly ministering to the needs of great crowds of folk, the human Jesus needed to get a way for a while. Tyre and Sidon, non Jewish cities out on the coast seemed just like the spot. They had secured a house, and the bible says that the Master did not want anybody to know it. But the bible says, "That he could not be hid." The fame of the Master had reached Tyre and Sidon before he did. For a certain woman had heard that Jesus from the region of Galilee was in town. She had heard that he was a healer and a worker of miracles. She made up her mind that she would go and see Jesus because she had some problems in her home with which she could no longer manage. A devil had come into her house and got into her daughter, and it was making er home life miserable. � RECOGNIZE THE PRESENCE OF THE DEVIL At that point I saw the first step in getting the devil out of your house. The first step is to recognize and realize the fact that he is there. In so many cases, parents refuse to recognize and realize the fact that the devil has got a hold on their children. Little by little they lose touch and they lose influence with their children. And more and more the satanic system and the influence of this world begins to dominate their lives. Some parents say O, they are just young and you know how young people are. They will grow out of it. There are some folk right now who are 40 years old and they have not grown out of it yet. � Some parents, in the name of being contemporary, say, "I am not going to make my children go to church the way my parents made me. I am going to wait till they grow up and let them decide on their own." That is not modern thinking that is foolish and faulty thinking straight from the influence of the devil. We do not wait until our children grow up and decide whether or not they should go to school. It is the responsibility of the parent to make sound decisions and guide their children in every area but particularly in things eternal. If the devil is in your house you will never get rid of him until you recognize and realize the fact that he is there. � DETERMINE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT The next step is to determine to do something about it. Do not sit around with your head in your hands talking about, "Lord I cannot do nothing with these children." You had better do something with them because if you do not the police and the judge will eventually do something with them. � Also note. The devil does not necessarily have to be in your children either. He can get into any member of the family. If the devil has taken up residence in your house and you have seen his ugly head. Determine in your heart and in your head that you are going to do something about it. � There is only one thing that you can do about the devil and that is to make your way to Jesus. Now the sad thing is that there are those who will turn to almost everything else before they turn to Jesus. Some Folk Try to Buy the Devil Off. If He Is in the Children, they try summer camps, gifts, and expensive private schools. They even try being pals instead of parents. � However, you cannot get the devil out of your house with silver and gold or the financial resources of this world. It takes the blood of the Lamb. It takes that blood that flows from Emmanuel's vein. � Then some folk try to get the devil out of their house by going to the devil. When hell starts breaking loose at home, they use contemptible and nefarious tactics to try and accomplish the virtuous. Such as fortune tellers, tarot cards, and conjuration just to name a few. � They do not realize that the devil is not going to cast out the devil. Beelzebub is not going to cast out Beelzebub. You have to make your way to the Master. And you have to determine in your heart and in head that nothing is going to stop you from getting to Jesus. � In Matthew's account of this miracle the record states that the disciples wanted Jesus to send this woman away. They did not want to be bothered with her and they did not want her there taking up the Master's time. However, this woman had a daughter who the devil had gotten a hold of she had determined in her heart and in her head that nothing would stand in the way of her getting some help for her child. The disciples attempted to hinder her from bothering the Master. But when a mother's child is hurting and in need it would take more than 12 men to stop her. � The question that comes to mind is why did these disciples want to send the woman away. It is because these disciples placed more value on custom than they did on compassion. They were more concern with tradition than they did on tenderness � The bible says that woman came and threw herself at the feet of Jesus. These disciples being typical traditional Jews that they were took the approach of this woman as an insult. For according to Jewish custom a woman was not allowed to approach a rabbi especially when he was with his students. Even though Jehovah had used women greatly throughout Jewish history, they were still considered second class citizens just a little above a slave. They were not even allowed in the main sanctuary of the temple. The men would sit up front, and in the back behind a partition were the seats for the women. On the outside of the temple, in the outer area, was the court of the gentiles. The gentiles who believed in and worshiped Jehovah were called God-fearers. They were allowed to come to the temple but they had to stay in the outer area. � The fact that she was a woman and came and approached the Master was an insult to these disciples. But it added insult to injury because she was not even a Jewish woman. She had all of these things against her and yet this woman was determined to get to Jesus. � There was one other thing that heightened the disciples' prejudice against this woman and that was the fact that she was a Syrophoenician woman. The Syrophoenician had Canaanite blood flowing in their veins. And the Canaanite and the Jews had been enemies every since the time of Joshua. The Jews had no dealing with Samaritans and they had even fewer dealings with Canaanite. Back in the Old Testament the land that was flowing with milk and honey, the people who lived there were Canaanite. � The Jews fought them for the land because it was the promised land. But they were never able to get rid of all the Canaanite. They are enemies even unto this day. Yet, in spite of all these things against her this woman was determined that she was not going to let anything get in her way of seeing Jesus. Not custom, not politics, not tradition Not hatred, not bigotry, not prejudice Not narrow mindedness, not insults, not ridicule � If you are ever going to get the devil out of your house, you are going to have to adopt the attitude of this unnamed Syrophoenician woman. There are going to be some obstacles in this life that it takes bull dogged determination to overcome. � During my matriculation at Bishop College, I also served as a staff member of the Concord Missionary Baptist church under the leadership of the late Dr. E. K. Bailey. One Sunday I heard Dr. Bailey tell this memorable story about a tenacious bull dog. � One day a man sitting on his porch saw this bull dog coming down the hill at a steady and constant pace. He sat there and watched that old bulldog just walking with a steady pace. But across the street there was this little feisty dog. When he saw the bull dog, he ran out of the gate just barking he ran out at the bull dog, but the bull dog never looked around, he never broke his stride. The little feist starting circling the bulldog running up close, yet keeping a healthy distance. But that bulldog just kept walking. Pretty soon that little old fiest went on back in his yard. And that bulldog kept walking. That man got up out of his chair went into his house and got on his knees and said, "Lord whatever that bulldog got, that is what I want." � You got to have bulldogged determination because all through life, some little feist is going to be snapping at you trying to break your stride. Little feist of lying tongues, of back biting, jealousy, resentment, pettiness and slander, just to name a few. And if you are going to make it in this life it is going to take some bulldogged determination. How do you think we made it this far? We who are the sons and daughters of color, stolen from Mother Africa, packed and stacked on top of one another in slave ships like sardines in a can. Thrust upon the shores of a strange land, unfamiliar culture, unfamiliar language, sold into slavery, separated one from the other, mothers from their daughters, fathers from their sons. Yet somehow through the grace of God and the bulldogged determination to be free we made it. � MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE MASTER Having made her way, notwithstanding the obstacles, to the Master, the bible says she besought him to cast the devil out of her daughter. � Now Jesus responded with, what could in some ways, be interpreted as a negative answer ". . . I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In other words, there is some merit to the tradition of my disciples. For my Father did send me through and to the Jewish nation. They are the chosen ones." Notice now, what we have here is a picture of a diplomatic Jesus. � On the one hand he is not chastising his disciples in the presence of this non-Jewish woman. And on the other hand he is winning this woman to him. For the bible says she came and worshiped him. And said, "Lord help me." But, then the Lord put her faith to the test. He says to her "It is not fitting to take the children's bread and cast it to the little puppies." (The Greek word for dog is 'kunarion' in the original text is translated little or young puppy) coming from the lips of the Master, it was a term of endearment. � The woman said to Jesus, "True Master you do not take the children's bread and give it to the little puppies, but even the little puppies eat of the crumbs that fall from the Master's table." Jesus said to her, "O Woman great is your faith, be it unto you even as thou wilt" � In Other Words Woman You Passed the Test. Because of Your Great Faith I am going to move on your behalf. I am going to heal your hurts. I am going to tend to your torments. The Master said to her, "go thy way the devil is gone out of thy daughter." When you get home, you will find your daughter but you will not find the devil When you get home, it will not be like you left it. It will not be the same anymore. You will find that salvation has come to your house. You will find that Justification has come to your house. You will find that Sanctification has come to your house. Instead of wickedness you will find righteousness, Instead of sadness you will find gladness. Instead of confusion you will find peace The Lord said, "Go thy way, When you get back home things will not be the same. When you get back home, you will discover that a change has taken place. ---- If the devil has taken up residence in your home. � I KNOW A ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I He is a Battle Axe in time of war He is a Buckler He is a Fortress He is a High Tower He is a Shield He is a Shelter in time of a storm