Gang Man Marries the Virgin Mary

This is quite the story that I heard at the senior picnic here and that I promised to relate to you. Why the over-the-top title?

Well – I was thinking of “This Is the Story of Eddie Kuchichakakama-tozinary-tozinova-sammagamma-wacky Brown.” That old camp song we used to sing at Camp Fireside in the ‘60s is too frivolous for what I want to share. But this story, though true, is almost as hard to believe. (BTW – the Eddie of that song drowned, mostly because his name was so long. Maybe I’ll share it in a podcast some time. I’m sure you would be thrilled to hear it! (Bzzzz!)

This is about one of my current students here in India—John Luke Timothy. (Do not ask me why so many here have a string of first names—I dunno.)

And while JLT was a ganger, his wife is not the Virgin Mary. It’s just that she makes me think this is what Jesus’ mother may been like. Nicole maybe weighs 7 stone after a big meal. If I saw her among some kids at home I’d say she is 15. Her true age I do not know. Probably twenty—maybe. She has a sweet 6 month old boy named Ethan. Her father is a music teacher who also plays for the Milwaukee Philharmonic and other Chicago area orchestras. Nicole plays flute and is a ballerina, playing, among other roles, a mouse in the “Nutcracker.” How she got linked to JMT I am not sure. What I will tell you is how her husband came to Jesus Christ.

JMT’s father converted from Hinduism and became a street evangelist—a man who is bold for Christ among his people, making many converts. But he will not baptize a woman who comes wearing gold jewelry. And it’s not what you think—a literal application of St. Peter’s instruction for women of faith not to adorn themselves with gold and fancy hair styles. It is because JMT’s Hindu grandmother taught his father the symbolic meaning of all the bracelets, rings, and other ornaments that Hindu women wear. All of them allude to a Hindu god or goddess—of which there are millions. So it is a matter of renouncing false religion.

Scene I.

JMT’s father often prayed over his children and was sure God would call promising young John Moses to ministry. He, his mom and sisters were often beaten for their rejection of the Hindu way. This constant rejection caused JMT to hate Jesus. “His name has brought nothing but grief and misery to us,” he wailed. So as a teen, he joined a street gang and did drugs. He came to love blood—his own and others. Fearless, he would ride his bike straight at buses until they chickened out first. He was not afraid of dying. So he would be paid money to go beat up some family for someone. People he never knew. A hit man is what he was. But his Dad was still praying.

In fact, his father decided to send him to Bible college in the USA. He would enroll him in a school in Minneapolis so he would become the preacher he was meant to be, even though JMT hated Jesus.

In India one does not defy one’s father openly. So JMT has a plan to sabotage the enterprise. He will not sit the exam required for those seeking a student visa for the USA.

The day comes for him to go the embassy to present his papers as his father demands. Other students ask him how he did on the exam. “Didn’t take it,” JMT replies. “Then why are you waiting in line? You know no one gets a visa without a good exam!”

As far as human wisdom goes, this is all true. However we must keep in mind that beautiful Scripture phrase, “But God….”

As JMT inches to the head of the line he notices that some who got second or fifth on the exam are rejected anyway and go out with long faces. “Great,” he says to himself. "I’m home free."

JMT comes to the desk at last. As he does, the woman doing interviews asks an assistant to watch while she goes to the WC. So he sits down and shuffles JMT’s papers. “OK, these look good,” he says to JMT’s astonishment. “What do you mean? I didn’t take the exam, as you can see.” “Yes, I noticed that. But we can make exceptions here and there.”

BANG! Down comes the stamp. Visa granted!

JMT slouches out of the building with a long face. “O, you must have denied, too!” someone sympathizes. “No, you @#%&* fool—I was granted!”

Scene II

Our hero is now sitting in a fine house in Minneapolis. His father and he have flown to America to deposit the lad in the local “Bible Prison.” JMT figures he can find a way out—maybe he’ll just flunk out or break all the rules. He’ll figure out a way. His street-smart wiles have not deserted him.

“John, if you want you can use the pool any time,” suggests the host.

How many pools this big are there in India? JMT decides, “Why not?” So Mr. Fearless gets into his shorts, bolts out his bedroom sliding door and dives in.

I should perhaps say that JMT does not swim—at all. He does not know that even private pools in American can be deep enough to take a diving board dive from Mr. Big’nTall, the owner, probably a son of one of those former Norwegian Bachelor Farmers.

JMT is on the bottom and not coming up. I know what to do. I’ll crouch on the bottom and push up. He breaks the surface and gulps air before sinking like a stone. Repeat and repeat. “How long can I keep this up?” he wonders.

Plan B. Crawl along the bottom to the shallow end and walk out. Bzzz! The pump is circulating the water at a vigorous rate. JMT gets nowhere.

Plan C. Panic. Yes – for Mr. Fearless. Like so many others he sees his life flashing by on “warp speed forward.” If I die now I will go to Hell. Notice how he hates Jesus but still knows his father’s beliefs!

Plan D. “Jesus, save me! If you save me I will die for you!” This is a version, I suppose, of the foxhole prayers common in military combat.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch so to speak, something (I wonder Who?) prompts Dad to check on his son—something is wrong. He and the host get up to search. Dad goes to the bedroom. Not there. Patio door open—he heads for the pool. The water is placid. As he turns back toward the bedroom, something (I wonder Who?) prompts him to look again. He sees JMT at the bottom, motionless. Crying for help, he and host get JMT out. The host works as a local policeman so does the CPR thing. Jesus has saved JMT! Maybe that's why they gave him Moses as his middle name-pulled out of the water.

Scene III

JMT at the Bible college. It’s another day—the day when doubt always comes from the Enemy. JMT needs some “proof” that Jesus is really in all this. After all, the policeman revived and he never claimed to be Jesus!

“Jesus, I need you to speak to me! I'll pray for four days. If you speak to me, fine. If not, I’m going on back to the gang—the only life I really know.” (Remember this young man is fearless—back to his old self.)

Following his father’s austere devotional practice (he gets up as Dad did as a Hindu, to pray at 1 a.m. and again at 5 a.m.) JMT fasts all food, shuts himself in his dorm room, and chants incessantly, “Jesus, speak to me!”

Day one passes. Nothing.

Day two passes. Nothing.

Day three passes. Nothing.

Day four. He is still behind his locked door and tiny draped windows. Then—LIGHT. Blinding light. He sees two angels walking back and forth in his room. Suddenly, Mr. Fearless cries out, “Jesus, do NOT speak to me! Please! I will die for you!”

Is this for real?

Get this. On day five JMT finds he is using no bad language. Previously he could not say two sentences without curses. He has peace in his heart instead of the seething anger and belligerence that has been his home page for years.

Scene IV.

He studies to be a preacher. He finds he has the gifts of evangelism, discernment and deliverance. It scares him. But he knows God is building on his native assertive personality to make him effective for the kingdom. “I do not want to sit in one place as a pastor or do shows like TV evangelists.” He decides just to pray for doors of ministry to open back in India. After several months he gets a call. “Could you come to our church and help revive the people?” Another soon follows. “Could you come for deliverance meetings in our city?”

As he is traveling back to India God puts him next to an atheist who is bragging about how he is going to lecture in a big Indian university on why there is no God. JMT listens. When the guy runs out of gas, he asks “What about you?” JMT relates his story. As the plane lands, Mr. Anti-theist says he is not sure now just what he will say at the big lecture.

Arriving at his first meeting, JMT is scared. He is a nobody. “What can this kid do?” He can read there thoughts. As he gets up to speak, a family comes toward the front with a very ill woman. He moves forward to pray for her. She is instantly on her feet, healed. Soon others are crowding to the front. (Remind you of anything in Jesus’ Gospel ministry?) One woman is mute. She has not spoken for years. Coming close, he touches her knee. “Do not touch me!” she says. He prays in Jesus name for the spirit to come out of her. It’s not pretty, but she is delivered and praises God. One is brought to him who is blind. He thinks of Jesus using spittle for blind people. “I can’t do that here!” So he shakes a bottle of water onto his fingers and touches the eyes. Sight!

Over time he has preached and healed in many places—though he cannot be more than 25 or so—“signs and wonders following.” He knows this is not due to HIS gifting. Only Jesus. And he knows that this type of ministry is usually found only in places where the Gospel has not come previously.

Scene V

As JMT goes back to his home city, he is warned twice. Once by a stranger in a conference in the USA, who came to him, saying, “I have a word from the Lord. You will die for Jesus.” Back in India another person came to him with the same message.

But home he must go. Once there an old gang buddy comes to see him. In an instant the whole gang is there, grabs him, stuffs him in a car and drives off. “We are going to kill you! No one leaves the gang and lives.”

“Dear Jesus, I will die for you as I promised. But help me if you can.”

JMT is shown that the driver’s mother is in trouble. “Hey, Raji, what’s this with you mother?”

Shut up. We are going to kill you!

A minute later. “Raji, there is something wrong with your mother….”

Shut up, I said. We are going to kill you.

Third time. “Raji, please tell what is wrong—I will pray for your mother if you take me.”

He sees a tear roll down Raji’s cheek.

At Raji’s house, JMT prays and the Lord heals her! Raji wants what Jesus can offer. Soon JMT baptizes Raji. And one by one, all the gang become believers.

I know this is hard for some of us in the sophisticated west to believe. But I sat on the mat with JMT and his bride and baby for an hour, looking him in the eye, sizing him up, reading his heart as best I could. He wants to work with the youth of India. He wants a challenge, not an easy life.

John Luke Timothy—fearless for God.

How Nicole could yoke herself to a man who knows he will die some day for Jesus is a testimony to her commitment. I know she is not the Virgin Mary. But evidently she has submitted. “Be it unto me according to your will, O Lord.”

And I fully expect that some day a sword will pierce her heart as it did the mother of Our Lord.

But this is India. This is the “end of the earth” Jesus sends us to.

This is what trusting Jesus, King of Angels, is all about.