Aug 17, 2014
Acts 8:26-40
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This morning we’re going to be approaching our text a bit differently than we typically do. Because there is so much meat packed into this story of “Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch” we’re going to work through the text before unpacking its application.
Since Saul had initiated this “great persecution” in Jerusalem, Philip has been the central figure behind this great spiritual awakening taking place in the region of Samaria.
While it’s true Jesus had much earlier planted the seeds for this future work through His interactions with “The Woman at the Well,” it is crystal clear from our text that Philip had been called and commissioned to be God’s man to reap the harvest.
Because of his obedience to cross centuries old racial and religious prejudices, Philip found himself right in the middle of an amazing work of God. While we do not know how many people responded to his preaching, the numbers were large enough to generate such a buzz that it caught the attention of the Apostles hunkered down in Jerusalem.
To say the Samaritan church was trending would have been an understatement. She was bursting at the seams. Attendance and conversion rates were never higher. She was new and fresh; and because of this work Philip immediately found himself in the spotlight.
I can see Relevant Magazine running a cover story featuring this new, non-apostolic, boundary-pushing, renegade pastor making waves in cross-cultural Samaria. Zondervan and Tyndale House were fighting to secure a book deal. Resurgence and Catalyst were in a race to book Philip as the headliner for their next conference. Even Christian rapper LeCrae was trying to get Philip to do a spoken word intro for his next single.
The church was rocking and Philip’s ministry had never been better when… Acts 8:26, “An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.”
Wow! Talk about a wicked curve. God abruptly interrupts this season of vibrant ministry by sending this “angel” to Philip with the instructions to leave Samaria? And if that weren’t enough notice the particulars of these new orders… The destination would not be the populated cities of Jerusalem or Gaza, but instead the road between the two!
Understand, this was such a bizarre and strange directive from God that Luke even goes out of his way to point out that this trek of road was nothing but desert.
These instructions didn’t make any sense. Why would God remove Philip from the midst of this incredible work happening in Samaria? Why would God send him to a place that was literally unpopulated? Seems like it would be the last place you’d send a gifted evangelist!
Knowing that his destination was to simply head “south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” we’re told Acts 8:27, “Philip arose and went.”
Philip abruptly leaves Samaria seemingly unannounced, travels back through Jerusalem (which had ironically been the very place he’d initially escaped persecution), and begins the long, lonely walk through the hot desert towards Gaza.
“And behold (or literally “consider that while Philip was on this particular road”) a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.”
What do we know of this man?
He was “a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury.”
Luke tells us this Ethiopian had “great authority” serving as a type of “Secretary of the Treasury” under “Candace the queen of the Ethiopians.” This means he was wealthy, powerful, and influential. Note: Candace was a title given to the queen mother.
We’re also told he was a “eunuch” which in the ancient world was the typical plight of a man serving in such close proximity to a powerful woman. It was a bummer indeed!
He “had come to Jerusalem to worship.” While this man had traveled some 200 miles from Ethiopia with the singular desire to “worship” the true God of Israel, it is unlikely his experience had been a positive one.
To begin with, because he was of African descent, the furthest into the Temple he would have been allowed was the outermost “Court of the Gentiles.”
Beyond this, if the religious leaders correctly applied Deuteronomy 23:1 to this wealthy sojourner he wouldn’t have been allowed into the Temple precincts at all. “He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the LORD.”
He “was returning… sitting in his chariot… reading Isaiah the prophet.” Though he had been turned away from the Temple or at a minimum left disappointed by the charade that was the outer courtyard, on a positive note this man had been able to use his wealth to procure a copy of the Prophet Isaiah. Note: Because ancient documents were handwritten a scroll of Isaiah would have been very expensive.
It’s clear from our text this Ethiopian was a noble man on a noble quest. He was searching for truth. The world and all she offered had left him empty. Religion and all it promised had left him wanting. He desired a real, life-altering encounter with God.
Though his situation was bleak as he heads home there were two things going for him. (1) He was digging into God’s Word. (2) While he needed someone to help make sense of the things he was reading, God was one step ahead.
Acts 8:29, Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
Philip is walking this lonely, dusty road from Jerusalem to Gaza when this chariot with all of its entourage comes speeding by. (How else would he have noticed the chariot?)
As he admires such an interesting sight (this would have been like being on a deserted road in West Texas and having a row of black Escalades come whizzing past you) “the Spirit” told him to “go near and overtake (or literally “attach yourself to”) this chariot.”
Acts 8:30-31, “So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.”
Explain the hilarity of this section of Scripture.
Acts 8:32-35, “The place in the Scripture which he read was this (Isaiah 53): “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you (literally I beg of you), of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.”
Please understand… The example set by Philip is simple enough that every Christian can be used in such a way! Now while it’s true we should all be equipped with an understanding of the Word of God, when it’s all said and done every believer should by our own experiences be able to speak to who Jesus is and what He’s done for us.
Acts 8:36-38, Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then 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.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”
Note: The man’s public identification with Jesus (baptism) came after his personal acceptance of Jesus (profession of faith). Saving faith produced a desire to be publicly baptized. Baptism was a sign of salvation, not the initiator of salvation. Also… This phrase, “they went down into the water” is further evidence of baptism by immersion.
Acts 8:39-40, “Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.”
Apparently, as soon as the Ethiopian emerged from the water “the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away…” This Greek phrase “caught away” is the word “harpazô” meaning “to snatch out.” In Medieval Latin this word is translated as “raptura” which is where we derive our English word “rapture.”
Paul would use the same word in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Because “the eunuch saw him no more” it can be reasoned that this act of “snatching Philip away” initiated by the “Spirit of the Lord” resulted in his body physically disappearing from one location only to then reappear in another.
While in the 1 Thessalonians passage Paul says there will come a day when living Christians will experience a similar event whereby their bodies are “caught up” to be with Jesus, in this instance, Philip was “caught away” from this baptism scene only to then be physically placed elsewhere on earth. In his commentary on this passage David Guzik states that Philip had been “raptured horizontally.”
Now before you write off this record as being nonsensical, note that this event is not without precedented. In Genesis 5:24 we’re told that “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Then in John 6 it is recorded that when the disciple were caught in a storm half way across the Sea of Galilee and Jesus came walking upon the water “they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.”
While I can admit this seems to be the stuff of science fiction, please understand it’s not outside the bounds of physics to at least see this as being theoretically possible.
Following a groundbreaking experiment where scientists were able to transport an atom three meters with 100% accuracy, Professor Hanson, from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said, “If you believe we are nothing more than a collection of atoms strung together in a particular way, then in principle it should be possible to teleport ourselves from one place to another. In practice it's extremely unlikely, but to say it can never work is very dangerous. I would not rule it out because there's no fundamental law of physics preventing it.”
The story closes with the Ethiopian “going on his way rejoicing” and Philip, beginning in Azotus (town north of Gaza), working his way along the Mediterranean coast “preaching in all the cities” before finally settling in the northern sea port town of Caesarea.
Unpack the Application
1. A work of God depends on God not man.
On the surface it made no sense why God would call Philip out of such an incredible work. Unless… Philip wasn’t all that important to the work! Since what was happening in Samaria was a genuine “work of God” the work was dependent on God, not Philip.
You see Philip was able to pick up and go without a seconds hesitation because he trusted that God knew what He was doing and the work would continue without him.
Sadly, to many people have tricked themselves into believing what “God is doing” is somehow dependent upon “their involvement.” At Calvary316 may none of us ever buy into the lie that God’s work is dependent upon the involvement of any of us!
I have found that the quickest way to evaluate whether or not a ministry is a work of man or a genuine work of God is to ask yourself what would happen if the man was removed from the work? Would the work continue or come screeching to a halt?
2. God has a plan behind every command.
While Philip only saw a lonely, desert road stretching from Jerusalem to Gaza, God knew there would be a man from Ethiopian traveling this same path needing someone to share the Gospel with him… Another harvest primed for reaping!
Though many in the same position would hesitate to make the kind of move that Philip did especially when obedience would take him from a position of security to uncertainty - from a sure thing to a who knows - from the hotbed of ministry to ministry in the desert, once Philip heard from God he acted immediately.
It’s amazing to me, but Philip was only armed with a command. God said, “Go” and Philip went. He didn’t need an explanation. He didn’t ask for all the details. All Philip needed to act was his marching orders. He trusted God and his life was lived in complete surrender. He was a man who walked by faith in the purest sense.
It’s interesting, but we find in this story another example of what I would call “Progressive Revelation” - an unavoidable component of the life we live in Christ.
The whole story begins with God giving Philip a simple command that contained a specific destination. And what did Philip do? He went to this road - traveled south as he was told - simply waiting for God to give him further instructions.
Then, as a result of his obedience to be exactly where God told him to be, the Spirit broke the silence with a second command… “Catch the chariot!” Once again Philip followed God’s leading - caught the chariot - and proceeded to run alongside.
It was only then, after a continued obedience, that God’s ultimate purpose started to gain clarity when he heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah.
You see Philip understood that the best place for him to be was in the will of God, but he also realized the only way to be in the will of God was to obey the commands of God. Always remember, “Obedience to the simple commands of God is the only key by which you can unlock God’s ultimate plan for your life.”
3. We must learn to be sensitive to the voice of God’s Spirit.
The obvious question that should jump off the pages for every believer is “How did Philip hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?” While Luke is clear that “the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot” how was he certain this was God’s voice?
Though it’s unlikely Philip received an audible directive, I am convinced the answer lies in (1) being Spirit-filled, (2) having a desire to listen, (3) developing a familiarity with His voice, and (4) having a bold faith to act upon a particular impression.
Last week as I was working on my Bible study the Lord laid a specific person on my heart who hasn’t been to church is some time. In a step of faith I acted upon this prompting believing this might have been the Spirit’s leading. I dropped this person a Facebook message that read, “The Lord laid you on my heart this evening and I felt compelled to reach out and let you know we miss seeing you around C316. I pray you're doing well.” Here was the correspondence that followed… “Pray for good health for me! I'll be coming soon. Summers almost over I'll be getting Sundays back very soon.” I responded, “You ok? I will absolutely be praying. Get back soon!” Then this person wrote, “I hope so! I've prayed all week long and you sent me this. So I'm going to take it as a sign the good lord is hearing my prayers.” I replied, “YES! Jesus hears your prayers and has incredible plans for your life if you'll only let him. Let go and let God! Much grace!” The final reply was, “Thank you Zach. You are so right.”
Here’s my exhortation… If you feel as though the Holy Spirit is telling you to reach out to someone, what do you really have to lose by acting on this impression?
4. God uses believers to reach seekers.
One of the clear lessons we learn from this story is that God evaluates ministry opportunities in a much different way than we often do. Though it’s true God sent Philip to Samaria because a harvest was ripe for reaping, it is also true God sent Philip to this desert road because a harvest was ripe for reaping.
From God’s perspective one opportunity was not greater than the other which is why I don’t find it to be an accident He deliberately used the same man for both occasions!
While “mass-evangelism” undoubtedly brought God glory, it’s evident from our text that “individual-evangelism” was just as important to the heart of God.
After declaring in Matthew 18:11, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost” Jesus asked in the very next verse, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?”
It’s clear this Ethiopian man was a genuine seeker desperate for God to reveal himself. The world had ripped him off. Religion had left him empty. But God would not stand idly by and allow the cries of his heart to go unanswered.
In the book of Acts, we see over and over again that God responds to every person presented as a genuine seeker by sending one of His servants to “preach Jesus.” Peter would be sent to the house of Cornelius. Paul would be sent to the region of Macedonia. And in this instance Philip is sent to this Ethiopian eunuch.
I hope you realize that God has chosen you for the same purpose? If you’re like me sometimes it’s so easy to become overwhelmed by the entirety of the lost world around us that we lose sight of the one lost soul right next to us. Understand… That person is so important to God that He has sent you to share with them the love of Christ!
I ask you to consider Jesus’ own experience on the cross. In the midst of a divine work designed to save the masses, what did He do? Jesus took time to care and minister to the needs of that one man hanging on a cross next to him.
Finally, if you’re seeking, maybe this morning’s message is God’s way of letting you know that He loved you enough to send His only Son Jesus to die for your sins so that you might have life and that more abundantly!
This morning I close by echoing the exhortation Philip shared with this Ethiopian who had been ripped off by the world and left empty by religion… “If you believe with all your heart… that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” you too can be saved!