Today’s Leader of Faith
Dr.ANDREW JUKES
Home Call : 28 April 1931
Medical Missionary, Evangelist, Translator, Author, Doctor
Andrew Jukes (1847-1931) was a Canadian Anglican missionary and doctor who made significant contributions to Christian missionary work and linguistic development in colonial India. He was appointed in 1878 as a medical missionary by the Church Missionary Society (CMS), one of the principal missionary organizations of the Church of England. He was assigned to the CMS’s Punjab and Sindh mission, which encompassed much of present-day Pakistan, and was stationed at the Baloch mission in Dera Ghazi Khan, where he served until 1906. Jukes devoted much of his life to translating the Bible into the local Jatki dialect of Punjabi. He completed the translation of the Four Gospels in 1898. In addition to his translation work, Jukes undertook the creation of a comprehensive bilingual dictionary of the Jatki language, which featured over ten thousand entries. This dictionary was published in 1900 with financial assistance from the Government of India.
Jukes was born in Canada in 1847. He received his early education at Blundell’s School, a well-regarded independent institution in Tiverton, England. He later pursued medical studies in Britain, preparing himself for a dual calling as both a physician and a missionary. From childhood, he was a devoted Christian, marked by strong faith and a deep determination to live for Christ. This commitment led him to dedicate his life to missions, serving those in need and guiding them spiritually by leading them to the Lord.
Jukes was ordained and arrived in India in 1878 when he was appointed as a medical missionary by the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S.). His main work was the translation of the Bible into the local Jatki dialect of Punjabi. He was fortunate to have the assistance of Muhammad Hassan, the son of Sher Muhammad, who played a key role in this translation work. His missionary family background also contributed to his work. His brother, Worthington Jukes, was a CMS missionary in Amritsar, Punjab, and Peshawar, while his elder brother Mark Jukes spent fourteen years in missionary work at Emerson, Manitoba. Jukes medical work in India was an integral part of his missionary efforts. He combined his medical training with his evangelistic duties, offering both physical and spiritual care to the local population. He treated various diseases, injuries, and illnesses, and his medical practice earned him the respect and trust of the local community.
Jukes passed away at the age of 83 in Dera Ghazi Khan, which was part of the region he had served in as a missionary. It is believed that he was buried in Dera Ghazi Khan as well, though specific details about his burial site are not widely documented.
— John Michael, Rajahmundry