John Henry Brühl studied the book Isaiah (1823-1893)

To the dismay of both father and mother Brühl, their son John never became a rabbi. He chose to be a schoolmaster. But John’s immense language skills, love for history and talent in mathematics were very helpful when he eventually became a missionary.

Exceptionally intelligent

Very early on, John’s parents noticed that he was exceptionally intelligent. At a young age he was sent to school in his birthplace, Poznan. Before he was five years old he was able to translate a greater part of the Torah from Hebrew to German. And when his peers just started learning their ABCs, John was impressed by accounts he read about the life of Jesus.

The prophesies in Isaiah

Later on, he regularly visited a Christian family with his father where he became more interested in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles that he could read there. As a ten-year old he studied the book of Isaiah and the 53rd chapter struck him. That which had been a lurking suspicion became an absolute certainty, “Jesus is the promised Messiah of Israel!” This became more so when he read the Jewish commentaries on Isaiah. In vain, the rabbis labored to prove that this prophecy could not apply to Jesus of Nazareth.

Dedication to Jesus

His growing conviction of the truth of Jesus made John refrain from becoming a rabbi. He became a schoolmaster instead and after his graduation, Brühl looked for employment in Amsterdam. There he came into contact with missionaries of the ‘London Jews’ Society’, Jewish men that had found Yeshua the Messiah. John dedicated his life to the Jesus and at the age of 23, the Jewish schoolmaster was baptized. He longed for more education and left for London.

Many new believers

After he finished his education at the Missionary College of the ‘Society’, the young evangelist was sent out to Baghdad, Iraq. Full of fire he preached to Jew, Muslim and gentile alike. Also during his missionary journeys (1854 – 1864) through Persia (Iran) and Kurdistan, he told many about his Saviour. A large number came to believe and in spite of immense difficulties, he remained faithful to his Lord. Whether in Baghdad, London, Jerusalem, Lemberg (Lviv-Ukraine) or Vienna, his preaching touched the hearts and hundreds, many of which were Jews, came to believe.

Until his death in 1893 John Henry placed his exceptional intelligence in the service of his Master. Through his great love for his Lord, many found the Messiah.