But [Jesus] said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
Excluded and Emasculated
Being a man having 47, XXY, I have encountered a number of temptations to believe I was less than masculine. While I didn't know about my genetic disorder until after I turned 40, something about my body invited me to think of myself in this way.
My goal in writing this isn't to invite answers to where these thoughts came from, rather, I hope to bring to light that a special grace from our Creator is present to help us. While our experience of life is slightly different than other men (in our bodies, in our minds), God has made special provisions for us in scripture, letting us know that we are esteemed in His eyes. Not so that we would become prideful and assert that our differences are something to be paraded and flaunted as a new class of men in society. No, but rather that we in fact exist, and our struggles, while deeply personal and often hidden, matter to Him and He wants to and will help us if we ask Him and wait for His answer.
While listening to the following sermon by Drew Boa, founder of Husband Material, I was amazed by how interconnected the experience of the "crushing" of the eunuch tied into the experience of our Savior in his own crushing, offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
The sermon isn't only for eunuchs, it's for any person who feels outcast because of the circumstances of his/her life.