Eunuch (unique) Faith

Eunuch (unique) Faith by Rev. Nate Williamson

Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” Matthew 19:12 Singleness can be considered a curse. A person who is single within the body of Christ can often be made to feel like there is something wrong with them or they are broken as well-intending people try to  x them up with someone. Th e above verse ends a conversation in which Jesus is asked about divorce. After hearing the grounds for divorce and God’s standard for marriage, the disciples exclaim, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!” And in order to preface what he says in the next verse, Jesus says, “Not everyone can accept this statement. Only those whom God helps.”

What you are about to read is not an easy message, but it can be accepted with God’s help. Before we jump into the details of being a eunuch, we need to establish a truth. Proverbs 19:14 and 31:10 make it clear that marriage is a gift. And just like any gift, it is not given to everyone. A gift received is not decided by the recipient but by the one who gives the gift.

But if marriage is a gift, does that mean singleness is a curse? Th e Greek defi nition of eunuch is one who is alone in bed. Th is defi nition not only makes it clear that, when using the term eunuch, you are not talking solely about a person who is not married, but also one who refrains from sexual activity.

Jesus, in Matthew 19, describes 3 diff erent eunuchs: people that are born that way, people who are made that way, and people who choose to live that way. 12 The Connection SPRING 2020

Eunuchs Born that Way

According to some studies, anywhere between .001 to 1.7% 1 of people may be born without fully functioning sexual organs. The common term for this is a hermaphrodite. The modern term often used is intersex.

For this article, we will define these types of euncuchs as “people born without the full capacity to experience and consummate a marriage.” This is nothing new. As we can see by this passage, there were people born without fully functioning sexual organs just like any other part of the human body that may not be fully formed at birth, like a person born blind, deaf or mute.

This may not seem fair or right, but in this fallen world, some are born with disabilites and some are not. Some are born with amazing abilities and others tend to be more common. But what one person considers a disability, another considers a gift. We can learn a lot from the deaf community who do not consider themselves lesser because of their inability to hear. Most people born deaf love their unique culture, and if given the opportunity to hear, would turn it down because they believe there is nothing wrong with them.

We must remember that any impairment, sickness and even death are not the result of God’s hands, but man’s sin inherited from Adam and Eve. No one is born without a fault or flaw. And yet, every beat of our heart or breath we take is a gift from God.

Singleness is a gift as well. It may not feel like it. You may not want it. But the recipient of the gift cannot choose the gift they get.

Eunuchs Made That Way

In Biblical times, some people were made eunuchs because of their vocation. Those who served kings, rulers or other people in power closely often allowed themselves to be emasculated, especially if they were entrusted with overseeing their master’s wives or harems. This would ensure their master of no possibility of infidelity or abuse from their closest advisors and servants. So why would anyone choose to be a eunuch in this situation? It would be a chance for some to break through poverty and have a good life, seats of power or influence where they wouldn’t otherwise. It proved your dedication and trustworthiness. You gave up the chance for future generations in order to be fully dedicated to your master. Later this title was passed onto the extremely loyal and dependable without being emasculated. In some cultures, it was an act of worship to a pagan god.

Our culture’s eunuchs who are made so are usually for entirely different reasons. Many times it is in order to change their gender or identity. How do we minister to the “T”s in the LGBTQ community?

If you read Old Testament passages like Deuteronomy 23:1, it seems impossible: “…those who have made this choice cannot be included in the assembly of the Lord.”

But a reading of Philip’s interaction on a desert road with an Ethiopian eunuch, from Acts 8:26-39, shows us how to minister in love to those who have made themselves eunuchs. Let me show you the highpoints of the passage: • God sent Philip to the eunuch. This is not Philip’s doing or a coincidence. In the Spirit-led life there are no coincidences. God set up the time, place and opportunity. • The eunuch is searching for God. He has just visited the temple. He owns a precious scroll of Isaiah. No one owned a personal scroll unless they were rich or influential. Everyone is searching for Jesus whether they know it or not. • Philip gives him the Gospel fullywithout holding back. • He didn’t quote the bookofDeuteronomy. He baptized him instead.

But the best part of the passage is what section of Isaiah the Ethiopian eunuch is reading. Reading a scroll is not like reading a book. You can’t just flip to any page you want. You read it as you unroll it. The passage of Scripture that he reads, and which Philip interprets to him, is Isaiah 53:7-8. After coming up out of the water, being baptized into the faith through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, I am sure he couldn’t wait to get back in the chariot and continue to read Isaiah. And just a few chapters later in Isaiah 56:3-8 it says, “Don’t let foreigners who

commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘Th e Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’ For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me. I will give them—within the walls of my house— a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear! I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant. I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fi ll them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt off erings and sacrifi ces, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations. For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.’”

Because of Jesus every eunuch can bear Christ’s name, have an eternal home and be a part of the eternal family better than any earthly family. Jesus’ love and grace is truly for everyone and can make anyone new. No one is too far gone or too damaged for Jesus to heal and renew.

Eunuchs by Choice

Th is category, for the context of this passage, are people who have become eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Th ese are individuals who have chosen to receive the gift of celibacy in order to be closer to Jesus. Paul himself was this kind of eunuch as he describes himself in 1 Corinthians 7:25-40. In this passage Paul makes it clear that marriage is not as easy or fulfi lling as it seems to one outside of that God-given relationship. It is a life of servitude as you are completely dedicating yourself to the other individual in the marriage covenant. In fact, Paul, from even his own experience as a single, believes his life to be better since he does not have the added responsibility of taking care of a family, but is free to pursue more time with and attention to Jesus.

If you receive the gift of celibacy, Jesus, eternity and the Gospel message are able to take greater priority in your life. With this perspective, celibacy is a uniquely intimate gift of Jesus that those who are married cannot experience in the same way. Who really gets to live the perfect life they desire on this earth? We all have to adapt to what God has given us. God’s calling for all of us is unique. Some things in life we choose. And some things God chooses for us. And those things in life that God chooses for us we must receive as a gift. And the greatest gift Jesus off ers all of us is an intimate, eternal relationship with Him. All other relationships and desires are secondary to that and pale by comparison.

In conclusion, for whatever gifts God decides to bless us with, we must be thankful. We cannot live with a focus on whatever we can get out of this life. Stuff does not give us our value or worth. Live as if this life is coming to an end and there is something better waiting for us in eternity. 1 https://isna.org/faq/frequency/

Rev. Nate Williamson is the senior pastor of Covenant in Morgantown, WV.

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