26 Now 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. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, 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, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 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?” 37 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.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 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. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
Commentary
Vs. 26 Now 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.
With the church in Samaria now firmly established, an angel of the Lord now calls upon Philip the evangelist to go out from there and now head south towards Jerusalem along a rather isolated road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, saying this is desert. This then was not a route that Philip himself would have chosen to travel. Nonetheless being obedient to Lord, and knowing it was His angel who was sending him, in faith he went.
Vs. 27-28 27 So he arose and went. And behold, 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, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
And so it was that along this barren route there was “…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, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.” This man then was clearly seeking the Lord, for he had come a great way to the Temple of the Lord seeking to know Him; and like so many today who also come to church services seeking Him; he still needed someone to personally explain the Lord Jesus Christ to him. And so, returning to his native country he was now reading Isaiah the prophet in the Scriptures trying to find Him. This then was the reason for the angel telling Philip to go down this barren route, because this man needed the way of salvation explained to Him! Which is something anyone of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ can do!
Vs. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
When Phillip drew near the place where the man was, and likely there was a caravan with him, the Spirit told Philip to go near his chariot and overtake him. Thus, not to fear or be distracted by all that would’ve been going on around him.
Vs. 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Therefore, Phillip once again boldly steps out in faith and runs to the chariot where the man was sitting and reading the prophet Isaiah. Which itself is a beautiful sight to find someone searching the Scriptures seeking to know the truth for themselves. Therefore, when Philip saw the man reading the Scriptures, he said to him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Vs. 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
Sadly, then the man had found no one while in Jerusalem to help him find the Lord, but was only directed to the prophet Isaiah, and so when Phillip asked him if he understood what he was reading and he said, “How can I unless someone guides me.” He asked Philip to come up into the chariot and sit with him, and what could be more harmless or easy then that. And yet I see in his response the many missed opportunities that take place every day as people who are likewise spiritually hungry and who are seeking the Lord for themselves are only directed to read the Gospel John or some other passage of Scriptures for themselves when what they really need is just to have someone to explain the Gospel to them and to pray with them to receive the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves!
Vs. 32-34 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
Now the passage that the Ethiopian man was reading was the most poignant passage of the Lord Jesus Christ in Isaiah chapter fifty-three which describes in great detail the Lords humiliation and suffering for our salvation. That said he did not yet understand the significance of the passage nor to whom it even referred, since he asked Philip if Isaiah the prophet was speaking this about himself or someone else. All which is fine, for God has not given the ministry of His Word to angels, but to us, to His people, to believe in Him and to declare His Son and what He has done for us all through it!
Vs. 35 “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.”
Therefore, Philip knowing this passage of Scripture began there and he preached the Lord Jesus Christ to him beginning from there. Thus, He begin with the Lord Jesus Christ Sacrificial death on the Cross to explain to him how he himself could now know the Lord and have God’s salvation for himself through Him!
Vs. 36 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?”
Philip then having explained the way of salvation to the eunuch must have also told him of the Lord Jesus Christ’s commandment that all who believe in Him must be baptized. Therefore, as they traveled down the road together in the chariot and the eunuch seeing some water now says to Phillip, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
Vs. 37 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.”
Now in Philips simple response is all that is required for one to be baptized and that is that one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ with all of one’s heart. That’s it, not that one complete twenty lessons on the importance of water baptism, or that one’s family be in good standing with the church, or whatever other requirements one might dream up. The only Scriptural requirement is that one believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, and thus testify as much. Therefore, when the eunuch said that he believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he met all that is required to be baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Vs. 38 “So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”
Upon hearing that the eunuch now commands the chariot to stop, thus it was of his own desire to be baptized and become a disciple of Jesus Christ, not someone else’s. Having then stopped both he and Philip then went down into the water where Philip baptized him. This then was a full immersion baptism as is clear from the text, for they went down into the water and then they came up out of the water (vs. 38-39).
Vs. 39-40 39 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. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
Now as they came up out of the water an amazing thing happened, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away! And not since the days of Elijah had the Spirit of the Lord done so, and yet here He was miraculously moving Philip onto his next mission field, to a place called Azotus, the Greek name of Ashdod, one of the five principal ancient Philistine cites where Philip passing through went on to preach to all the cities there till he came to Caesarea. Philips ministry then had gone from preaching first to the Jews then the Samaritans, then an Ethiopian, and now Israel’s ancient enemies!
It’s incredible then how the Spirit of the Lord moves us out of our comfort zones and into preaching and teaching Jesus Christ to everyone, without showing favoritism or partiality to anyone. And so, with the rapid spread of the Gospel through the dissemination of Christ’s disciples everywhere, who were/are being enabled and empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, it would/will never be contained by the Jews or anyone else. Now with Philips departure, the eunuch having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and been baptized was not now going to become clung to a man as if his own faith in Christ was to be linked to him. Rather his faith was fully in the Lord Jesus Christ, and so with Philips departure he simply went on rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ, because everything else after that is just a bonus! Early on then we see it was never of the Spirit of the Lord that Jesus Christ’s disciples should become disciples of those through whom they believed (consider 1 Cor. 1:10-31, vs. 11-13, 31).
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
No comments:
Post a Comment