So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, "Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road. ) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
"He was led as a sheep to slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth. "In humiliation His judgment was taken away;
Who will relate His generation?
For His life is removed from the earth."
The eunuch answered Philip and said, "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?" [And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."] And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
My thoughts -
This is one of my favorite passages. A few things happen here that just blow me away.
First, Philip listened and did what God desired. He didn't do some huge thing. God didn't tell him in this instance to leave everyone and everything behind. God didn't give him any earth shattering revelation like he did to Noah along with a command to do something crazy like build a giant boat. This was a simple thing. God didn't ask much. Just take that road. You know, the one over there.
This wasn't some huge thing, or at least it didn't seem that way. He was just taking a different path. But he did what he was told. He listened and obeyed, even in this small thing. Philip got up and went.
Along that road was a man ready to receive Jesus. Philip had know way of knowing this but his openness to the voice of the angel and his willingness to do God's will enabled him to encounter this man. He was in the right place at the right time. Just as God intended.
The man, an Ethiopian eunuch (so maybe "man" is the wrong word here - I'm not sure how gender identity works with eunuchs) was reading scripture. He was reading the prophet Isaiah, and he did not understand what he was reading.
I've often wondered what led this eunuch to read Isaiah. Was he just bored and it was there? Was he seeking something? Had someone previously tried to explain this to him? I don't know. But he was reading it as Philip happened by. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, and I love the eunuch's reply. This is a man ready to receive Jesus. He says, "How could I unless someone helps me?"
Philip needs no more invitation than this and preaches Jesus to him beginning with this scripture. The eunuch has questions. Philip answers, teaching him all about Jesus. And then again I love the eunuch's response. He sees water and essentially declares that he's ready to be baptized and nothing can stop him.
What a response! He's ready. Let's do this. No time like the present. So Philip baptizes him and then the Spirit wisks Philip away to wear he needs to be.
This all happened because the eunuch was ready to receive the Lord and Philip was willing to do God's will. There's no real supernatural miracle stuff going on here until we get to Philip's ride home. This is every day, garden variety evangelism. A heart was ready to receive the Lord and a believer was willing to listen to God and to preach the word.
Any of us can do this. We can do this any day. We can do this every day. All we have to do is be open to doing the will of God, go where we're sent, and tell people about Jesus.
Philip was faithful. We can be faithful in this same way.
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