His name was John—an Indian boy from the Punjab. Not long before, he had been living in the beautiful countryside, but now his home was in hot, bustling Singapore with his aunt and uncle who had adopted him. Overwhelmed with homesickness, he spent most of his waking hours sitting at the front gate gazing into space—the very picture of abject misery.
The only relief came once a week when he went to the temple to take part in the rites of the Sikh religion. Though only fourteen years old, he was extremely religious and rose early every morning to study the Sacred Sikh books.
John’s uncle was a watchman in a large building complex. Living in one of the apartments there was a missionary and his daughter. These also kept a Bible store in the building, so it was not surprising that the kind missionary soon noticed poor John.
But although he felt very sorry for the lonely boy, he could not communicate with him, for the missionary could not speak nor understand John’s language. But love and kindness know no language barriers; these are understood in every part of the world. And John soon learned that in the missionary he had a true friend.
One day another Christian woman entered the picture. She brought along a small tape player and some recordings in John’s own language. By these John heard the gospel for the first time in his life.
Eventually the missionary and his daughter went away, leaving the Bible store in the care of another Christian woman. She too took a kindly interest in John and eventually found work for him in the shop. Here he proved to be a most diligent and useful lad.
John still clung to his Sikh religion. He did his very best to live an upright, highly moral life, hoping to gain merit for life beyond. Indeed, his conduct would have put many Christians to shame.
One evening he appeared dressed in dazzling white, instead of his usual gray and somewhat grimy clothes. His employer was amazed.
“John!” she exclaimed. “Where have you been? You look so beautiful—clean and white from your turban to your toes.”
“I have been to the temple,” John answered reverently. “When I go there I wash and put on everything clean and white. We must be clean to go in the temple, you know, and I don’t eat any food.”
“But, John, you are so beautifully clean and white outside; what about your heart inside?”
John’s head drooped, and his lips quivered while in a broken voice he confessed: “My heart is very black; I can’t make it clean.”
The Christian then told him again—as she had often done before—of the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, which cleanses away all the sin of everyone who in simple faith believes it. John solemnly took it all in but made no decision. He must count the cost first, because for a Sikh to become a Christian is no light matter.
In the following days John’s Christian friends prayed earnestly for him. God heard their prayer, for it was not long afterwards that John came into the shop with a new, happy smile on his face and announced that his heart was now whiter than snow. He had received Jesus as his Lord and Saviour and received the gift of God which is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (See Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23).)
You cannot wash out your sins by tears or atone for them by good works, but come, see Jesus at Calvary, and see God turning His eyes to the same cross at which you are looking and saying: “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:2525I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. (Isaiah 43:25)).
“Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7