Daily Devotion

“John Fryer (1839–1928) came to China in 1861 under the Church of England and from 1868 spent twenty-eight years translating at the Jiangnan Arsenal, orally translating more than a hundred scientific works and founding the science journal Gezhi Huibian (The Chinese Scientific Magazine). In 1896 he became professor of Oriental languages and literature at the University of California, Berkeley, yet China remained on his heart: in 1911 he gave 60,000 taels of silver to found the Shanghai school for blind children, and had his younger son George B. Fryer train in the education of the blind and go to China as its principal. In 1915 he told Huang Yanpei: "For decades my living came entirely from the Chinese people; I must find a way to repay them."”

Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (BDCC) · BDCC, "Fryer, John," bdcconline.net

Scripture

Matthew 20:28 "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Reflection

John Fryer served China in the late Qing and early Republic through translation, schools and the education of the blind, profoundly embodying the life model of Jesus Christ's "serving others." We often pursue recognition and service in secular or religious settings, neglecting the fact that Christ's path is one of rooting ourselves downwards and selflessly serving as servants. True faith lies not in lofty preaching, but in recognizing the needs of our time and transforming ourselves into a grain of wheat amidst solitude and misunderstanding. Only by humbling ourselves to serve the most insignificant among us can our lives reveal their eternal, noble value, akin to a "ransom."