Act 8:26-39 | KingComments | STEP | In the section that follows now, chapter 8:26 till chapter 10:48, Luke describes the conversion histories of three people: 1. An Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8); 2. Saul (Acts 9); 3. Cornelius (Acts 10). They are the descendants of the three sons of Noah – Shem and Ham and Japheth ( ) – through whom the whole world was populated ( ): 1. The eunuch, the Ethiopian, is a descendant of Ham (Ethiopia or Cush (=black), ). 2. Saul, the Jew, is a descendant of Shem. 3. Cornelius, the Roman, is a descendant of Japheth. The Hamites populate Africa, the Shemites Asia and the Japhethites Europe. These three continents meet at Jerusalem. Jerusalem is therefore strategically the best place to send out from there the gospel into the world. The eunuch, Saul and Cornelius represent the entire human race. All three are morally sincere people, but they need conversion. They are also socially the most difficult people for the gospel to reach: 1. The eunuch is a politician. 2. Saul is a theologian. 3. Cornelius is a soldier. Yet in two of them there is already a longing for the gospel. Both the eunuch and Cornelius are seekers. There is already a work of God going on in them. With Saul it is completely different. This man is not looking for peace, but for victims to whom he begrudges this peace. The Lord has a special messenger for each one of them: 1. For the eunuch this is Philip. 2. For Saul it is Ananias. 3. For Cornelius it is Peter. Also the way the Lord addresses Himself to them is different: 1. The eunuch is reached with the Word. 2. To Saul the Lord Himself appears. 3. Cornelis sees an angel in a vision. Different are also the circumstances in which they find themselves when they come to repentance: 1. The eunuch is on his way home. 2. Saul comes from home. 3. Cornelius is at home. Philip has to leave a busy field of work to serve a single person. Herein he imitates the Lord Who had to go through Samaria to bring the gospel to a single woman at the well of Jacob ( ). Philip is used to make the gospel find its way to the nations. God uses an angel to show Philip the way, but Philip has to proclaim the gospel. He is given precise directions where to go, but he is not told what to do there. There are two roads that descend from Jerusalem to Gaza and he has to take the desert road. An evangelist would never have chosen the desert road, but Philip does not ask questions, he goes. To get Ananias to go to Saul (Acts 9) and Peter to go to Cornelius (Acts 10), the Lord must use more insistence. With Ananias fear is the objection and with Peter his Jewish prejudices prevent direct obedience. The Lord has removed both obstacles and then they have both gone. In Philip we have an example of immediate, unconditional obedience in simplicity of heart. He does not think of the difference between Samaria where he was surrounded with esteem and love and the road to Gaza which is desolate. He has confidence in his Master Who wants to use him for a eunuch who has been in Jerusalem to worship and is now on his way back to his country. The word for “eunuch” is literally “castrated”. Besides the fact that he is a stranger, the fact that he is emasculated is an additional reason that he could never join the people of God ( ). Nevertheless, he undertook a journey of about two thousand kilometers to Jerusalem. There is also salvation for the strangers and even for the eunuch, the emasculated ( ). His conversion and faith in the Lord Jesus are therefore a foretaste of what we read in Psalm 68 ( ). Since then, many Ethiopians have stretched out their hands to God. To bring the eunuch on the way of salvation God uses His Word and His servant Philip. What the eunuch sought in Jerusalem in duties and ceremonies of the law, he did not find there. He has been in Jerusalem to worship the true God, but he has only found a cold formalism there. In spite of his seeking heart, the Lord did not let any of the apostles cross his path. The eunuch has not found peace in Jerusalem, but he has taken something else from Jerusalem and that is a part of God’s Word. That is what he is reading in his chariot. With it he has a treasure with him that is larger than all the treasures he has to protect for his queen. Then the meeting between Philip and the eunuch is prepared by the Spirit. The Spirit tells Philip that he must go up to “this” chariot, the chariot of the eunuch, and join it. Since it is the preaching of the gospel, it is not an angel who comes to Philip ( ), but the Spirit Who leads Philip. The Spirit tells us exactly where to go and what to do. Thus, later, Ananias in connection with Saul, and Peter in connection with Cornelius, also receive precise directions to go to them and bring them God’s message ( ). In this way the Lord also wants to make clear to us where He wants us to go and what we should do and say.

‏ Acts 8:26-39

A New Order for Philip

In the section that follows now, chapter 8:26 till chapter 10:48, Luke describes the conversion histories of three people:

1. An Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8);

2. Saul (Acts 9);

3. Cornelius (Acts 10).

They are the descendants of the three sons of Noah – Shem and Ham and Japheth (Gen 9:18) – through whom the whole world was populated (Gen 9:19 ; Gen 10:1-32):

1. The eunuch, the Ethiopian, is a descendant of Ham (Ethiopia or Cush (=black), Gen 10:6).

2. Saul, the Jew, is a descendant of Shem.

3. Cornelius, the Roman, is a descendant of Japheth.

The Hamites populate Africa, the Shemites Asia and the Japhethites Europe. These three continents meet at Jerusalem. Jerusalem is therefore strategically the best place to send out from there the gospel into the world. The eunuch, Saul and Cornelius represent the entire human race.

All three are morally sincere people, but they need conversion. They are also socially the most difficult people for the gospel to reach:

1. The eunuch is a politician.

2. Saul is a theologian.

3. Cornelius is a soldier.

Yet in two of them there is already a longing for the gospel. Both the eunuch and Cornelius are seekers. There is already a work of God going on in them. With Saul it is completely different. This man is not looking for peace, but for victims to whom he begrudges this peace.

The Lord has a special messenger for each one of them:

1. For the eunuch this is Philip.

2. For Saul it is Ananias.

3. For Cornelius it is Peter.

Also the way the Lord addresses Himself to them is different:

1. The eunuch is reached with the Word.

2. To Saul the Lord Himself appears.

3. Cornelis sees an angel in a vision.

Different are also the circumstances in which they find themselves when they come to repentance:

1. The eunuch is on his way home.

2. Saul comes from home.

3. Cornelius is at home.

Philip has to leave a busy field of work to serve a single person. Herein he imitates the Lord Who had to go through Samaria to bring the gospel to a single woman at the well of Jacob (Jn 4:4 ; 7-8). Philip is used to make the gospel find its way to the nations. God uses an angel to show Philip the way, but Philip has to proclaim the gospel. He is given precise directions where to go, but he is not told what to do there.

There are two roads that descend from Jerusalem to Gaza and he has to take the desert road. An evangelist would never have chosen the desert road, but Philip does not ask questions, he goes. To get Ananias to go to Saul (Acts 9) and Peter to go to Cornelius (Acts 10), the Lord must use more insistence. With Ananias fear is the objection and with Peter his Jewish prejudices prevent direct obedience. The Lord has removed both obstacles and then they have both gone.

In Philip we have an example of immediate, unconditional obedience in simplicity of heart. He does not think of the difference between Samaria where he was surrounded with esteem and love and the road to Gaza which is desolate. He has confidence in his Master Who wants to use him for a eunuch who has been in Jerusalem to worship and is now on his way back to his country.

The word for “eunuch” is literally “castrated”. Besides the fact that he is a stranger, the fact that he is emasculated is an additional reason that he could never join the people of God (Deu 23:1). Nevertheless, he undertook a journey of about two thousand kilometers to Jerusalem. There is also salvation for the strangers and even for the eunuch, the emasculated (Isa 56:3). His conversion and faith in the Lord Jesus are therefore a foretaste of what we read in Psalm 68 (Psa 68:31b). Since then, many Ethiopians have stretched out their hands to God.

To bring the eunuch on the way of salvation God uses His Word and His servant Philip. What the eunuch sought in Jerusalem in duties and ceremonies of the law, he did not find there. He has been in Jerusalem to worship the true God, but he has only found a cold formalism there. In spite of his seeking heart, the Lord did not let any of the apostles cross his path.

The eunuch has not found peace in Jerusalem, but he has taken something else from Jerusalem and that is a part of God’s Word. That is what he is reading in his chariot. With it he has a treasure with him that is larger than all the treasures he has to protect for his queen.

Then the meeting between Philip and the eunuch is prepared by the Spirit. The Spirit tells Philip that he must go up to “this” chariot, the chariot of the eunuch, and join it. Since it is the preaching of the gospel, it is not an angel who comes to Philip (Acts 8:29), but the Spirit Who leads Philip. The Spirit tells us exactly where to go and what to do.

Thus, later, Ananias in connection with Saul, and Peter in connection with Cornelius, also receive precise directions to go to them and bring them God’s message (Acts 9:11 ; Acts 10:19-20). In this way the Lord also wants to make clear to us where He wants us to go and what we should do and say.

Philip Preaches Jesus to Him

After the directions as to where Philip should go, we do not hear that the Spirit gives directions as to when Philip should make himself known to the eunuch, or as to what he should say to the eunuch. This is not difficult for an evangelist like Philip. He knows himself guided by the Spirit and quickly notices a reason for a conversation. His whole performance contains a lot of teaching for everyone who wants to bring the gospel to people.

After the directions of the Spirit we see that Philip runs up to the chariot. Later, Ananias is reluctant to go to Saul (Acts 9:10-17) and Peter even at first pertinently refuses to go to a gentile (Acts 10:14). But Philip longs to bring the gospel to this man. The love of Christ urges him (2Cor 5:14). He does, however, proceed with deliberation. He notices what the person is doing because he hears him read the prophet Isaiah. The eunuch read aloud, which was common in those days.

Philip knows his Bible, for he recognizes what the eunuch is reading as words from the prophet Isaiah. He opens the conversation with the friendly question: “Do you understand what you are reading?” Through his question he shows his interest in the questions that will have arisen in the eunuch. Do we know the questions people have? Can we empathize with them? The eunuch’s answer shows a longing, humble heart for someone who can and does help him.

He invites Philip to sit with him. Here we also have an important clue for passing on the Word. There is no question of racial difference, but of taking a place on the level of the other. Just as Philip sits with the eunuch, so we must sit with people. The preaching of the gospel cannot be done from on high. If we are aware that we are by nature like those to whom we preach the gospel, we will sit beside them.

The place of Scripture that the eunuch reads is quoted by Luke. It is quite striking that just when the eunuch is at this Scripture, the Spirit tells Philip that he should join the chariot. At the right time, the eunuch meets Philip. This timing is from the Lord, because this is the Scripture that speaks especially about the Lord Jesus.

The Scripture is this one: “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” (Isa 53:7-8, quoted by Philip from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament). These verses describe the suffering, death and burial of the Lord Jesus and the consequences thereof.

He was as a lamb led to the slaughter, but He did not open His mouth, He bowed under the mistreatment, He suffered willingly. The prophet Jeremiah also compares himself with a lamb, but he does not keep his mouth shut and calls for vengeance (Jer 11:19 ; 20 ; Jer 12:1-4). For the Lord Jesus the path to slaughter was much worse. He knew perfectly where He was going, but did not open His mouth. It underlines the voluntary surrender of Christ. Shearing means taking away everything that is worthy of a man, but He did not protest against the unworthy treatment that was done to Him.

Everything expresses His voluntary surrender in a way that shows how unique He is. No one can be compared with Him. He was treated in a humiliating way and His judgment was taken away, indicating that He did not even receive a just judgment, because His judgment was predetermined: He had to die.

And who thinks of “His generation”, to tell something about it? He is considered so worthless that one cannot imagine anything at all about Him. However, for those who have an eye for it or receive it through teaching, like the eunuch, discover who His generation is. “His generation” can be applied to the consequences of His death, which has produced many spiritual offspring. ”His generation” can also be applied to His origin, in which we may think of His existence as the eternal Son and His humble origin as Man from the carpenter’s family of Joseph. No one of His contemporaries is concerned with that. To them He has been taken from the earth, His life is over and He no longer exists.

The explanation of these verses is not simple, yet the eunuch has thought about what he has read. He understands that it is about Someone, a Person. His question is a wonderful reason for Philip to preach “Jesus” to him. In Samaria he preached “Christ” (Acts 8:5). The Samaritans had to know that the “Christ” had come. The eunuch must know that “Jesus” is the Messiah.

Philip Baptizes the Eunuch

We do not know what else they discussed on the way, but we do see the result. The eunuch accepted the Lord Jesus in faith as the Messiah and was therefore born of God (1Jn 5:1). When they come to a water, he asks to be baptized. Philip will have spoken about this too, but the desire comes from the eunuch himself.

Baptism is done on the basis of the confession of faith. There is no probation period. Philip does not have to ask permission from the apostles or the church in Jerusalem. He does it instantly. They both go down into the water, which indicates that baptism takes place by immersion.

Baptism is a personal matter, with which the church has nothing to do. The Lord – and not the church – has sent His disciples to baptize. They are just as responsible to Him for this as they are for the preaching of the Word, which is also not done by the church (the church does not teach).

When the baptism has taken place and they have come out of the water again, Philip’s task as far as the eunuch is concerned is over. Philip is snatched away by the Spirit of the Lord and placed somewhere else. Time and space mean nothing to God. This supernatural way of disappearing belongs to this beginning time which is full of wonders and signs.

Without being surprised by the sudden disappearance of his companion, the eunuch travels on his way rejoicing at the redemption he had sought in Jerusalem in vain. What he sought, he found in the Word of God, in Jesus Christ. When someone has truly found Christ, the servant disappears from sight and Christ is everything.

The eunuch and Philip did not see each other again on earth, we may assume. They did not have to. The eunuch could stand on his own two feet as an independent Christian. Servants are not allowed to bind anyone to themselves. The eunuch went back to his country and took up his daily work again. He has remained in the position he was in when he was called by the gospel (1Cor 7:24).