A Reflection on Eunuchs

I don’t see many eunuchs in the north east India, where I come from. Perhaps, no organized associations. Even in my whole community of Lisu people, I know only one eunuch – a woman turned into a man. Now he lives by himself his own house. Some has girlfriends occasionally!

The moment I leave Guwahati, I see plenty of them in the trains. Their claps sometimes frighten me. They come in groups and insist for money. If not, they irritate the passengers till they yield to their demands. At one time, I thought I should beat up the two fellows when traveling back to Bangalore with my newly wed wife!

Recently, a family who has been working among the eunuchs shared their ministry and showed us photographs. Lots of sad stories: disrespect by general public, no legal identity and power, sexual abuses, alienation from families, and so on. They particularly told story of a boy, who could not resist from becoming a woman that he ran away from college/home. He changed his organs and became a woman. Now there is no way “she” would return home as a girl. The couple shared the conversion stories among them and the regular fellowship they have. In Christ, there is no male or female. How true!

This incident helped me to be sensitive when encountering with trans-genders. Instead of being angry with them for their behavior, I should be gentle and kind to them. After all they are human and equally created in the image of my God.

This week itself, we had devotion from Acts where Philip evangelized and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. Strange that the first Christian from Ethiopia was a eunuch!

I also learned beginning this year that Daniel, the author of the book of Daniel, was a eunuch.

Jesus also said there are three kind of eunuch – one made by human, the other born that way, and the last group are those who considered themselves as eunuch for God’s kingdom. I should be respecting them because that is how God made them.

Learning to change my attitude toward them... May God forgive my past wrong attitude and behaviors toward them.