Sundar Singh (1889 - 1929)
A true witness of the Gospel of Christ Jesus
Sadhu Sundar Singh was born on September 3, 1889 in a small village called Rampur in Punjab. His father was a rich landlord owning extensive wheat fields, and the family lived in great comfort. The mention of his name evokes in many people’s hearts the character of a man with great commitment and devotion to God’s love and mercy.
Some would still ask whether Sadhu Sundar was a passing fashion or is he a permanent figure in Christian Church, likely to inspire many generations to come? A great many of those who know his life will be inclined to agree with Queen Wilhelmina (who ruled over Holland for fifty years) in her judgement about Sundar Singh. She wrote: “I never met him, I know him only from his books and the books about him. I belong to those who are deeply impressed by his life and teaching and I am sure the way he manifested his radiant love for Christ and His peace, and in general his teaching, was a real help to me in the worst episodes of the terrible catastrophe that was the last war. Indeed, Sundar Singh was not ‘a passing fashion’ but a man whose example and teaching should always be remembered.”
Sadhu Sundar Singh was in his life and conduct, Christ-likeness. Being born amidst the depths of Indian culture and religion, and into a Sikh family, during the early part of his life Sundar's mother would take him week by week to sit at the feet of a sadhu, an ascetic holy man. It was his mother who first encouraged him to become a sadhu. She once told him, "Do not be selfish and materialistic like your brothers, but seek for your peace of mind and hold steadily onto your faith. Be a sadhu." However, he never achieved peacefulness in his meditations. Owing to his mother's connections with some women from a British mission in Rajpur, Sundar was able to enter the school run by the missionaries. It was there that Sundar was first exposed to the Bible. He wasn't interested in the Bible at that time. Instead, he ardently buried himself in Hinduism and yogic practices.
He had great opposition to the Gospel and he believed that what Jesus taught was wrong. He continued in his quest for the truth through reading of the Bible which he had previously destroyed. Later having become a Christian, he was renounced by his father and ostracized by his family. On October 16 1905, Sundar wearing a yellow robe, barefooted and without provisions, resumed his nomadic life from village to village, but this time he followed in Jesus' footsteps. From here on the life of Sundar Singh became most Christ-like.
Following the advice of his friends, Sadhu enrolled himself in St. John School of Theology in Lahore. After studying for two years there, he resumed his travel. In the following years, he was often persecuted but he was also miraculously delivered by the Lord. In 1914, Sundar preached in Nepal, a country with a very strong root of Buddhism. In the town of Rasa, he was sentenced to death by a local Lama on the grounds of spreading a foreign religion but was miraculously delivered.
Sadhu Sundar Singh journeyed much. He travelled all over India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).Between 1918-1919, he visited Malaysia, Japan and China. Between 1920-1922 he went to Western Europe, Australia and Israel. He preached in many cities; Jerusalem, Lima, Berlin and Amsterdam among others. Sundar remained modest despite his fame. His attitude made his father repent. Sundar never thought of himself. He only desired to follow Jesus' example: to repay evil with kindness and to win over his enemies by love. This attitude often caused his enemies to feel ashamed of themselves.
Being unwilling to denounce his Master in the face of his family's rejection, Sundar took the saffron robes of the sadhu and began a life of spreading the simple message of love and peace and rebirth through Jesus. He carried no money or other possessions, only a New Testament.
"I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said, "but like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all people of the love of God."
He travelled India and Tibet, as well as the rest of the world, with the message that the modern interpretation of Jesus was sadly watered down. Sundar visited Tibet every summer. In 1929, he visited that country again and has never been seen since.