Philip has been ministering to the people of Samaria by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today the Lord has a divine appointment in store for him.
"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go south to the road---the desert road---that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'" (Acts 8:26) One of the Bible commentaries I consulted states, "There was a road from Jerusalem which led via Bethlehem and Hebron and joined the main road to Egypt just south of Gaza. There were two Gazas. Gaza had been destroyed in war in 93 BC and a new Gaza had been built to the south in 57 BC. The first was called Old or Desert Gaza to distinguish it from the other. This road which led by Gaza would be one where the traffic of half the world went by."
Philip doesn't know yet why God sends him out on this road, but he soon spots a man reading the Scriptures in his chariot. "So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means 'queen of the Ethiopians'). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, 'Go to that chariot and stay near it.'" (Acts 8:27-29) This man is an Ethiopian proselyte to Judaism. He has come a long way to worship at Jerusalem and he is so hungry to know the living God that he can't get enough of Him. Even on the way home he's reading a copy of the Isaiah scroll, a scroll that would have cost him a great deal of money. He is actively seeking a personal relationship with the Lord but doesn't yet understand how to have it.
Philip's work for the kingdom of God is fruitful because he is so obedient to God's instructions. He set out for the highway not knowing why the Lord wanted him to go. Now he approaches the Ethiopian on the instructions of God. He doesn't know God's plans for this meeting but he trusts Him. "Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?' Philip asked." (Acts 8:30) One of the best ways to witness to someone about Christ is to first meet them on common ground, to begin with a foundation of shared interests. Philip hears the Ethiopian reading aloud from the book of Isaiah, a book he himself knows well. Here is something they have in common. Here is a starting point. Philip recognizes the passage of Scripture this man is reading and he knows it is a passage that foretells the suffering of Jesus Christ, as we will see momentarily.
The eunuch leaves off reading and replies to Philip. "'How can I,' he said, 'unless someone explains it to me?' So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him." (Acts 8:31) What a beautiful meeting! What a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel!
"This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: 'He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can speak of His descendants? For His life was taken from the earth.'" (Acts 8:32-33) This text is from Isaiah 53. No wonder the Lord wants Philip on this road on this day at this time! God sends Philip to meet the Ethiopian at the very moment he's reading prophecy about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
"The eunuch asked Philip, 'Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?' Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." (Acts 8:34-35) Philip meets this man where he is in the Scriptures. He doesn't go all the way back to the beginning to start preaching at Abraham in the way Peter and Stephen preached to the Jews. This man is not of the bloodline of Abraham. Philip also doesn't go all the way back through the history of the Jews and explain how God has always been at work sending them deliverers and prophets. The Ethiopian won't benefit from such a lecture in this moment as one born into Judaism might benefit from it. Philip starts witnessing to this man about Christ right where he is, in Isaiah, and shows him that the prophet was speaking of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Everyone needs a comprehensive knowledge of the Scriptures, but the main thing they need to know is "Jesus Christ and Him crucified". (1 Corinthians 2:2) This is the first point we need to get across. Then, after coming to faith in Christ, the new believer should begin building a firm foundation in the Scriptures. I would recommend them starting with the gospels and going all the way through the New Testament before starting the Old Testament. The first thing to do is to learn as much about the person of Jesus Christ as possible. I tried it the opposite way and began at Genesis and ended up feeling bogged down and discouraged later on when I got into the genealogies and the many and various laws. I'm a Gentile and found difficulty in understanding how the laws and the prophets pointed toward the Savior and man's need for Him. First I needed to learn more about the One who was crucified for me; then I was able to go back into the Old Testament and clearly see that everything in those Scriptures was leading up to the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The eunuch believes when he hears about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. "As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, 'Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?' And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the Eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him." (Acts 8:36-38) This is yet another example in the book of Acts of people believing first and then being baptized. The true baptism takes place in the heart when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord. Baptism with water is a symbol of what has already happened in the heart.
"When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea." (Acts 8:39-40) Some scholars believe Luke means Philip disappeared and was supernaturally transported by the Lord to Azotus, while others believe Luke simply means Philip was immediately told to go and minister in Azotus. I agree with the first explanation because Luke uses the Greek word "harpazo" which means "to seize, catch up, snatch away". This is the same word the Apostle Paul will use in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 when he describes what has come to be known as the rapture of the church, when we will be caught up to meet Christ in the air. The word "rapture" originates from the Latin "rapio" which means the same thing as the Greek "harpazo": to "seize or carry off". So I personally believe Philip disappears as he comes up out of the water and that he really is supernaturally transported to Azotus. This serves as a sign to the Ethiopian that the gospel he has just placed his faith in is real. Should he ever harbor any doubts in later years in his own country about the message he heard, he will always be able to remember the display of the power of God, and he will know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the truest truth there is.
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