Precious in God's eyes

They did not have the money to pay him but promised to pay as soon as they could. A few days later, when they were on their way to work, the grocer stopped them and demanded that they pay the 16 pence they owed him. The couple said they would pay him when they received their daily wages later that evening. The grocer became angry and attacked the couple with an axe.

The man was beheaded and the wife died from injuries sustained in trying to protect her husband.

The couple who died, Bharat and Manta, were Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, the lowest rung of India’s caste system. The grocer was from an upper caste. There are more than 160 million Dalits in India. A person becomes a Dalit by birth. They are regarded as being impure and are denied normal human rights. Dalits are employed in poorly paid jobs that are regarded as ritually impure. It is not possible for a person who is born a Dalit to change their caste.

A few years ago a friend of mine was visiting India. He was being driven along a crowded street when there was a loud bang. A young disabled boy had run out in front of the vehicle and been knocked over. The driver, who was a Christian, gently picked up the boy who was very seriously injured. He carried him to a medical post but, sadly, the boy died.

When the boy’s family arrived the driver was afraid he might be attacked but the father, seeing the blood on the driver’s shirt, asked him if he had carried his son to the medical post. He said to the driver, “We are Dalits and no-one has ever touched my son. You must have loved him very much to do that.”

One day a man with leprosy came to Jesus. He knelt before Jesus and begged him to heal him, “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus was moved with compassion and touched him saying, “I am willing, be healed!” Immediately the leprosy disappeared. Every human being born into this world is precious in God’s sight. When we come to him, with all our varied needs, we can be sure he will never turn us away.