Acts Episode 17: Philip And The Ethiopian Eunuch

Wes

Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study Podcast. This podcast is just one of the many resources available to you for free from Two Journeys Ministry. If you’re interested in learning more, just head over to twojourneys.org. Now on to today’s episode.

This is Episode 17 in our Acts Bible Study Podcast. This episode is entitled Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, where we’ll discuss Acts 8:26-40. I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis.

Andy, what are we going to see in these verses we’re looking at today?

Andy

This is one of the thrilling encounters in the entire Book of Acts and a tremendous encouragement to me as an evangelist. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them.” And so, the Lord goes on ahead of us like the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire leading us through a lifetime of good works. And a lot of them, we trust are going to be evangelistically fruitful. I can’t imagine a more thrilling encounter that we could ever have than a man who’s reading Isaiah 53 and yearns to know who the prophet is talking about and is so ready to be converted. And so, we’re going to see all of that today. It’s going to be a thrilling study.

Wes

Well, I’m looking forward to it. Let me go ahead and read Acts 8:26-40.

Now, an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Now, the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through, he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

How did the Lord direct Philip in this passage, and why do you think the Lord uses these different means?

Andy

Yeah, so there are all kinds of different guidances and directions going on in this passage. So, Philip is guided by an angel and by the Spirit of God, both, and we’ll see that as we walk through it. The eunuch is directed by his own internal desire to know more about Judaism. He wants to be there. He’s in Jerusalem for that. So, he might be a convert to Judaism, but also by the Isaiah scroll that he’s reading, and he’s being directed to ask some very deep questions. So, the Spirit uses, or God uses, through the Spirit, through angels and through the Scripture, all of these means for directing his people, maneuvering them, putting pieces like on the chessboard, where they need to be so that everything that needs to happen can happen.

I think it’s important, we’re going to see this again and again in the Book of Acts, how angels have a limited role. They’re given a significant role, but it’s not an angel that was sent to the eunuch to explain the Scripture. And so, it’s human messengers that deliver the goods in the end, though the angels would do a phenomenal job. And it’s not like they’re incapable of it, it’s just given to human messengers. So, to answer your question, the Lord uses an angel at first, and then the Spirit to direct Philip, and he’s using the Scripture to direct the eunuch and get him ready.

Wes

How about forms of transportation? What different forms of transportation does the Lord provide for Philip in this passage?

Andy

Well, that’s a great question. At the very end of the chapter, we’re going to see the Spirit suddenly taking Philip away and dropping at a place called Azotus. And so, the Spirit has the power to do that. He does it to Ezekiel, moves him from place to place. But he also just maneuvers himself. He goes down, he runs at one point, runs up to the chariot. So just normal means, whether by feet or maybe he himself had some kind of conveyance that took him down to that southern desert road. So different ways that he has to maneuver the messengers to where they need to be.

Wes

Interestingly, the angel doesn’t initially tell Philip why he’s being sent down this desert road. What does the fact that the angel doesn’t give this kind of detailed instruction teach us about the way the Lord leads us?

Andy

that’s just how providence works. We have enough information to go on to do what we need to do, and then other things get unfolded and revealed to us.

Yeah, I think that’s a great insight. It really is. He doesn’t tell us everything, and that’s just how providence works. We have enough information to go on to do what we need to do, and then other things get unfolded and revealed to us. So sometimes we’re just positioned and told what to do. We’re going to see this later very clearly in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas are maneuvered to a place where they’re almost stymied. They don’t really have anywhere to go. Every direction they turn, the Spirit blocks them, or some other thing happens and they’re like, “What now?” And then they have the vision of the man from Macedonia saying, “Come over and help us.”

And so sometimes it’s just you get to the point where you’re still, you’re waiting, you’re listening, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” So, I think it’s interesting. God tells us what we need to know when we need to know it, and not before.

Wes

Now, Luke describes the man Philip met as an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, and as one who was in charge of all her treasure as he was going down this desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. What do we learn from this description of this man and what’s significant about his trip to Jerusalem?

Andy

Right. He’s a very significant individual. Now, I think it’s important for us to understand, at the end of 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says very plainly, “Look at yourselves when you are called. Not many of you are wise, not many influential, not many of noble birth, but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise,” et cetera. And so most Christians are common, simple people who are not the movers and shakers. They’re not the influential, the intelligentsia, the leaders, the high-ranking officials. It’s not the norm. However, there’s a world of difference, even an eternity of difference, between not many and not any. There are some key leaders that are occasionally converted. And we would imagine like Nebuchadnezzar, if he was genuinely converted, might’ve had a tremendous impact once he was converted. And so, the Lord chooses from time to time to do that.

So, he’s an important man. He’s an important official. He’s not the highest ranking in the kingdom, but he’s got a significant role. He’s also Ethiopian, meaning he’s a Gentile. And so, it shows again, one of the main themes of the Book of Acts is the movement of the gospel from Jew only to Jew plus Gentile. And so that movement is one of the themes of the Book of Acts. This is a significant moment in that movement. He’s a eunuch, meaning that he’s an official, maybe he was castrated. Sometimes that’s the normal use of the word, that he would’ve been excluded from worship in the old covenant. There are certain aspects of the law of Deuteronomy, and yet we see in the new covenant, he’s welcome and is drawn in. And even Isaiah the prophet said, “Let not the eunuch say, ‘I’m only a dry tree'” (Isaiah 56:3). So that’s a statement made that some of these things are going to be moved aside in the new covenant.

And so, he also has access to the queen, Candace, who’s queen of the Ethiopians. Now, there’s so many questions and unanswered things that I want to know what happens with this guy after Acts 8. We know a little bit about what happens to Philip after the encounter with the eunuch, but we don’t know anything about what this guy does. We do know that the Coptic church developed very, very early the Ethiopian… The gospel came early to Ethiopia, and it would not at all surprise me that this man was instrumental.

Wes

Wow.

Andy

So, it’d be nice to know, as Dave Harvey used to say, “The rest of the story.” What happened when this guy went down there? We won’t know until we get to heaven.

Wes

Now, what’s the significance of the fact that this Ethiopian was reading the prophet Isaiah?

Andy

Okay. Now, I didn’t answer in your previous question like I should of why he was going to Jerusalem to begin with? And so, we have to imagine he had in some way, some knowledge of the Jewish monotheistic religion. He was interested in it enough to go up and to make effectively a pilgrimage. And so, he’s interested in the Jewish religion, and we know from the beginning in the Book of Acts that on the day of Pentecost, there were many that were there that were converts to Judaism from their Gentile backgrounds. And so, he’s already interested in the Jewish faith, and somehow either he already had one or he obtained a scroll, an Isaiah scroll.

Now, this would’ve been priceless. You think about the scribes. Now, they’re generally bad people in the gospels, just very hostile to Jesus, but their work was to copy scripture by hand. And so now he has somehow obtained what only a king would have or a priest, which is a copy of the Isaiah scroll, and it’s essential to his conversion. He’s reading it, trying to make sense of it.

Wes

What does verse 29 teach us about the Holy Spirit?

Andy

Well, it says here, “The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.'” So, the Spirit’s guidance can be that detailed, that rubber meets the road-ish, where you can get some direct guidance from the Spirit. And so therefore, whenever I have inside of me a prompting to go talk to somebody about the gospel, and it does happen frequently, I never think it’s Satan. I never think a demon is putting that on. He would never do that. I always believe it’s the Spirit, no matter how it turns out. I actually remember one time years ago, I was in Boston and I was crossing the Harvard Bridge, which connects Cambridge, MIT, my alma mater, and Boston. So, I was walking across in that direction toward Boston, and I passed an individual and our eyes met, and we just kept walking, total stranger to me, a man.

And I suddenly had a strong prompting to share the gospel with him, to say something about Christ to him. But I threw it off. It would’ve been weird because we’d passed each other. I would’ve had to turn around, but it was almost like there was a powerful spiritual bungee cord between us that the further we got from each other, the stronger the pull got for me to go turn around and talk to this guy. So, I did. What else could I do? And so, I turned around. I didn’t want to run to catch up to him, but I picked up my pace and caught up. And I caught his attention, and I tried to think of a way to begin the conversation, and he looked immediately like it was completely bizarre. The conversation went exactly as you would imagine it would. It never got anywhere, and then it was done. And then there was no bungee cord between us. I turned around and kept walking. I was like, “What in the world was that all about?”

And I may never know, but there must have been some reason why he wanted that guy to have some guy come up and talk to him about Jesus, which I did, very briefly. He knew what the topic was, that’s why he didn’t want to talk to me. And who knows what was going on in that man’s life? I’ll never know, but what this tells me is Spirit has the ability to direct us and to move us at minute levels, go over, across the room, see that person there, talk to them, et cetera, and then we should follow it.

Wes

Yeah. And I think we get a powerful example in Philip of responding well to the Spirit, whether it’s a seemingly abstract command, “Go down this desert road,” or an explicitly clear command, “Go to this chariot, to this man,” that we ought to respond in obedience.

Andy

Absolutely. I want to pick up on that and double down on it. We ought to respond in obedience, but often we don’t. And here’s what I think happens. The Spirit in his own wisdom will turn down the frequency and the volume of those promptings if we don’t obey them. And we could actually get to the point where we hardly ever have them. And at that point, I think we can imagine, it’s because we didn’t listen to them when they came. And so, what I would say to you, if you’re listening to this podcast, it’s been years since you’ve had any kind of a prompting to go share the gospel with someone. What I would suggest is say, “Lord, is it possible that you gave me some of those promptings and I resisted, I rebelled, I did not do what you told me to do? Would you please forgive me, and would you give me another chance?”

Let me tell you, the next time you have that prompting, after that prayer, you better obey. So go, and no matter how awkward or weird does not matter. It’s not our job to have a certain outcome, but obviously you’d like something like the Ethiopian eunuch who’s ready, willing and able to come to Christ, that would be awesome. So, if you want to ask the Lord, “Give me one of those,” fine, but just, I guess obey those quiet promptings, and they’ll get more frequent and they’ll get louder.

Wes

Now, verse 30 says Philip ran up to the chariot and heard what he was reading. So apparently the eunuch’s reading out loud. What does Philip ask him at the beginning of their interaction and why does he start this way?

Andy

So, he goes up and he’s right in the middle of reading the scroll, as you said, out loud, so he knows what he’s reading, and he hears him and he asks him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” And so that’s vital. It opens the door to the whole conversation. It’s something that we need to understand about the Scripture. The Scriptures are clear, but they also do require interpretation. They require teaching. And so, I think it shows the role of human teachers and human evangelists. The Scripture can convert people, but often they require some explanation.

Let me say one more thing. A lot of times somebody who just knows they ought to read the Bible just begins at Genesis 1:1 and just goes on like they’re reading a novel. Not like it’s not true but… and then they get to a certain place, maybe an Exodus somewhere or Leviticus, and they’re like, “What is this?” And they are still miles away from hearing about Christ or about forgiveness of sins. And so, we know that we could say, “Can I just give you some advice? Why don’t you start with one of the Gospels? Look on the Bible as a library. Start there.” So yeah, human intervention is necessary. The Bible is sufficient, but we need an evangelist or a teacher.

Wes

And I think some people have pushed on this point because one of the key doctrines in the Christian faith is the clarity of scripture, right?

The perspicuity of the word of God, and it’s been defined in the Westminster Confession this way, “All things in scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all. Yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of scripture or other, that not only the learned but the unlearned in a due use of the ordinary means-“

Andy

There you go.

Wes

“May attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.” I feel like I might need someone to explain that passage that’s read to me.

Andy

So, what is the due use of the ordinary means? I think that’s teaching. How can I, but that someone explains it to me? So, I believe when I preach every Sunday, that’s a due use of the ordinary means. I’m getting up and I’m explaining scripture and he’s like, oh, there it is. It makes sense now.

Wes

Yeah. So, when the Ethiopian says, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” That’s actually something that God has provided, guides to walk with us through the Scriptures so that we can understand.

Andy

Yeah, let me quote something that Paul said frequently. He said, “And of this gospel, I have been appointed a herald, an apostle and a teacher.” I’m a teacher of the gospel. So, what that means is that it requires some explanation.

Wes

The Ethiopian eunuch was reading Isaiah 53, which some have called the greatest Old Testament prophecy of Christ. How does Acts 8 help us as Christians to interpret Isaiah 53?

Andy

It’s utterly vital to me, and I had the privilege some years ago of writing a commentary on the entire Book of Isaiah. And one of my great frustrations, even it would make me angry, I would say it was one of the few times I just know I’ve been righteously angry, has been supposedly evangelical commentaries on Isaiah that fudge around with Isaiah 53 and don’t talk about Jesus. And they actually might even put it in a footnote. Now, these are evangelical Christians writing commentaries, but they’re writing as if they themselves are unbelieving Jews.

Wes

Wow.

Andy

And they’re trying to find some explanation other than Jesus. Friends, there isn’t one. Jesus Christ is the only fulfillment of Isaiah 53 there ever has been or ever will be. Other prophecies have an immediate fulfillment and a long range final messianic fulfillment. For example, the son of David, the king who will reign on David’s throne, immediate fulfillment, Solomon, and then on down, Rehoboam, et cetera, a whole lineage. And in the Davidic covenant promise that Nathan makes, he says, “I will place one of your own sons on your throne. When he does wrong, I will discipline him, but I’ll never take my love from him” (2 Samuel 7:12-15). He’s not talking about Jesus there. Jesus didn’t ever do anything wrong, but the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, of the Davidic line is Jesus who would reign on David’s throne forever. So, there is an immediate fulfillment. Solomon is the most immediate fulfillment, David’s son, and then the ultimate fulfillment, Jesus.

Jesus Christ is the only fulfillment of Isaiah 53 there ever has been or ever will be.

There is no immediate fulfillment of Isaiah 53, none. It certainly isn’t the nation of Israel. Israel is not the suffering servant of Isaiah 53:8 because the text itself says, “For the transgression of my people, he was stricken.” Who are Isaiah’s people? The Jews. All right? What are the transgressions of the Jews? Many, more than you can count. I’m doing Ezekiel now, doing scripture memory in Ezekiel, and he is saying, “There are stubborn and obstinate people who will not listen to you, but whether they listen or fail to listen, you should go, and they’ll know that there’s been a prophet among them” (Ezekiel 2:5, paraphrase). Stephen already said, “You always resist the Holy Spirit.”

So, there’s no way that Israel was the pure, sinless, suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Not at all. It’s someone else. And the Ethiopian eunuch is saying, “Who is this person? Who is the prophet talking about?” Is he talking about himself? “No,” he says, “For the transgression of my people, he was stricken.” So, Isaiah’s out. So, who could it be? And we know who it is. It’s Jesus. There is no other fulfillment. It is Christ and Christ alone.

Wes

We’re going to see Philip here in this passage use this as an opportunity to proclaim Christ to this man. Practically speaking, how might we use Isaiah 53 to preach Christ to someone, let’s say we have a gospel encounter?

Andy

Great question. I want to finish answering the question you just asked a moment ago with something right from the text. So right from the text, we have an open quoting of Isaiah 53:7-8. We know that’s what it is. Then the eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” And here’s the hermeneutical key here, verse 35 of Acts 8, “Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” So, there you go. That very passage of scripture is talking about Jesus. So, it’s just mathematical for me.

Now, how can we use it? Well, I would say there’s probably five key Old Testament prophecies that would be good for every Christian evangelist to know. I would say Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Which clearly depicts crucifixion. “They pierced my hands and my feet,” the details of crucifixion. Psalm 16, of course, which is the resurrection psalm, “You’ll not let your holy one see decay.” Psalm 110, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'” Clearly saying that Jesus is David’s greater son. He is David’s Lord. So, it speaks of the deity of Christ, and also of his ultimate exaltation seated at the right hand of God. Those are all of them very significant, but these last two are the most significant, and that’s Daniel 7 and Isaiah 53.

Daniel 7 goes right to the identity of Jesus, and its why Jesus called himself the Son of Man. Who is the Son of Man, who receives from Almighty God, who’s enthroned in glory, who comes into the presence of Almighty God? And receives from him power and glory and sovereign authority of all nations? And all peoples and nations in many of every language served and worshiped him? Who is that? Who’s the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven? Well, it’s Jesus, and he’s called the Son of Man because he’s human, but he’s also divine. So, the God-man who will receive worship from every nation on earth, that’s Daniel 7.

Isaiah 53 gets to the heart of his mission, his atoning sacrifice. There is I think nowhere in the Bible, in 66 books of the Bible, a clearer teaching on substitutionary atonement than Isaiah 53. It says very plainly in Isaiah 53:5-6, “He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. And by his wounds, we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way,” That’s our sinfulness. “And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” So that’s the transfer of guilt, our wickedness and sin and guilt on Jesus and he died under the wrath of God. His righteousness given to us as a gift.

These two verses in particular, so clearly speak of substitutionary atonement. He, being Jesus, pierced for our transgressions. That word pierced, which also is in Psalm 22 and also in Zechariah, three different prophecies speak of the one that will be pierced. Piercing is a very clear, specific verb. It has to do with the penetration of a wall or a membrane by a sharp object. And so, Jesus was pierced, and it says, “For our transgressions.” It’s also very good for preaching the gospel because it brings us right to talking about our transgressions and the fact that we deserve to die, and that Jesus died in our place.

So, Isaiah 53 is phenomenal. It also speaks of the need for faith. “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” It speaks of Jesus’ physical appearance as being unimpressive. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. It also speaks of the fact that he was arrested, and he was afflicted, and he died. And the fact that he was assigned a grave with the wicked but was with the rich in his death, so rich men buried him, and the fact that he rose from the dead. After the suffering of his soul, he saw light and life and was satisfied. And it also speaks of his spiritual progeny, of his descendants who will go even to the ends of the earth, who will hear and believe in him. So many things in Isaiah 53. So, I think it’s a great place to share the gospel.

Wes

So, Philip clearly answers the question that the eunuch raises in verse 34 by saying, “No, the prophet’s not speaking about himself. He’s speaking about Jesus and let me show you how.” Interestingly, Philip merely began with that passage. What does this imply about their time together? Were they only there? Did they go elsewhere? What else might Philip and the Ethiopian have discussed?

Andy

Well, verse 36 says, “As they traveled along the road,” so they just continue to make progress toward Ethiopia, I would guess. So obviously, Philip has a problem, but the Lord will take care of that through the Spirit, as we already mentioned. But the eunuch’s going home, and so they’re moving along there continuing. My guess is there’s a retinue, there’s a whole bunch of other people traveling with them. So, there’s a whole entourage that are going, but they’re continuing to talk. And so again, it goes back to Acts 1 in the 40-day seminar or seminary that Jesus led his disciples through, explaining and proving every passage of scripture relevant. And so, they were super saturated in the Old Testament prophecies and how to handle them. And so, beginning with that passage, he showed them the whole thing, all of the best scriptures. So probably the five ones that I just shared, and others besides.

Wes

What happened after they had discussed Christ from these Old Testament scriptures and who initiated it in this account?

Andy

Well, it seems that the eunuch says, “There’s nothing more to wait for. I’m a Christian, I believe. I believe that Jesus is the Christ. I’m a sinner. I need a Savior. He is the one.” And he says, “Look, it’s time.” And so obviously Philip must have told him about water baptism. So, I think it’s important that they talked about many other things like, “Okay, well, what do I do? How do I begin my Christian life?” And Philip would’ve said, “Repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” So that’s all implied. Clearly, it happened, because how is the eunuch going to know about it? So, he’s like, “Look, here’s water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized? There’s nothing left for me. It’s just time to be baptized.”

Wes

Now, Andy, at this point, we could ask many questions related to baptism, such as should people who make a profession of faith be baptized immediately or made to go through a testing period first? Or what about children who make a profession of faith? How young can they be baptized?

Andy

We’re doing all that?

Wes

Well, no. Based on this passage, let’s take that first question.

Andy

All right.

Wes

And if you’d like to explore the others, we can. But let’s zero in on this question. Should people who make a profession of faith be baptized immediately or made to go through a testing period first? How should we answer this question?

Andy

In our church, it’s something in-between. We don’t baptize people immediately because we tend to do it on a Sunday morning in front of the church. So there really isn’t any immediately. We’re not having people coming forward at the end of the service and then being water baptized. I don’t think in general, I would be against it. I do think that you need to be certain that the person gives a credible profession of faith in Christ and in front of 600 people watching immediately. I just wouldn’t advocate that. So, it’s not really a testing, I just want to have a conversation.

Wes

Sure.

Andy

That’s all. I think it’s reasonable to have a conversation. I don’t need to see him live out a Christian life because I think that’s dangerous. Where you’re looking for works and you’re going to wait to baptize, and the person has some good days and some bad days. It’s one of the problems of growing up in a Christian home. It’s like, as one of my kids said to me, “Dad, you would’ve baptized me a long time ago if I hadn’t been one of your kids.” It’s like, “Yeah, but I got some information on you. I know how it’s going Monday through Friday and all that sort of stuff.” But that becomes dangerous because baptism, water baptism really is a beginning ordinance. It’s for the beginning of the Christian life.

So, I think all you need is enough time to make certain that the person understands the gospel and is speaking the right words, saying the right things. We don’t have to watch their lifestyle, but I would say within days, within days after a profession of faith, we’re going to want to do the water baptism. So, I’m not waiting. Now, a deeper question has to do with the role of the local church. As Baptists, we believe it’s tied to the ministry of a local church ordinarily. This would be an exception. So, I think this is an exception that helps us not be legalistic about that. I have baptized somebody that I knew would not be joining our local church because they lived in New York state and they were with us for just a short time, but I still felt it was reasonable to baptize them in the pattern of the Ethiopian eunuch.

So, it’s not a norm. We know in the Book of Acts, frequently you see some different things like Philip and the Samaritan believers who didn’t receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came from Jerusalem. That’s not the norm. So, this, I don’t think is the norm either. I think it’s usually going to be tied to a healthy local church.

Wes

All right. How about the mode of baptism? Since we’re on the topic, does the following verses, does verse 38 teach us anything about the mode of baptism?

Andy

I don’t think it does. And as a matter of fact, I don’t think there’s anything about the mode of baptism in the New Testament except one thing, and that’s the word baptizo, and what it meant in koine Greek. All right? And so, when you look at other uses of the word, you don’t have any other uses that help you in the New Testament. You have some sense of immersion or plunging or any of that in the Septuagint. So, you have more data to work with. But most of the evidence is going to come from koine Greek writings that are not in the Bible, but that’s valid. That’s how we learn language. And so, there’s a common grace etymology, a common grace lexicography and grammar that is not in the Bible, but it’s assumed in the Bible. And so, you’re going to go to grammar school and you’re going to learn at your mother’s knee how to read, and that’s not biblical. And then when the time comes, you’ll read the Bible.

And so, we’re going to learn words apart from the Bible. So, for me, the mode of baptism is best taught by the use of the word baptizo in koine Greek, not by how it’s used in the New Testament. The New Testament could either be sprinkling or whatever. The fact that they go down into the water, the fact that Jesus came up out of the water, none of that proves anything because you could go down in the water and get sprinkled. So, I don’t think so, but at any rate, for me, the determination is the etymology and the lexicography of the word baptizo.

Wes

Yeah, that’s very helpful. All right, how about verse 39? Is it a miraculous transportation of Philip or does it just seem that way in the text? And what’s the last word in the text that we get on Philip?

Andy

Absolutely. It’s miraculous. Again, I’m going through memorization in Ezekiel. “And the Lord transported Ezekiel and brought him to Tel Aviv by the Kebar River. And he set Ezekiel down in their midst and he was there with them for seven days, overwhelmed.” So that’s Ezekiel 3:15, which I memorized this morning. And so, there’s transport that’s going there, and it’s not the only time Ezekiel has that experience.

Others are more visionary transports, but this is not visionary. This is his body needing to be put somewhere. And so, he has moved from the south desert road to Azotus, and he goes around preaching the gospel there. So that’s pretty amazing. Hey, the Spirit can do anything.

Wes

Yeah. How about the last word on Philip in the text? What’s the last thing that we see him doing as we come to the end?

Andy

Philip was just a faithful man of God. He’s one of the seven, one of the original so-called deacons who had a tremendous ministry.

Yeah, so he goes around preaching the gospel. My feeling is, look, that’s the thing that you pray for is, “God give me some encounters like that Ethiopian eunuch. That would be awesome.” If I could lead someone to Christ, I would be redoubled in my zeal to evangelize. But in any case, until that comes, we need to be faithful in sowing the seed. And so, Philip was just a faithful man of God. He’s one of the seven, one of the original so-called deacons who had a tremendous ministry. It’s beautiful to see God using him.

Wes

What is the eunuch’s lasting response and attitude and what final thoughts do you have for us on this chapter that we’ve looked at?

Andy

Well, we don’t know anything more about the eunuch other than he believed, he was water baptized, and it says, “He went on his way rejoicing.” And so, the Holy Spirit comes and brings joy into your life. Your sins are forgiven. You’re going to heaven when you die. God’s going to use you the rest of your life. The future is bright. And so that’s fundamentally hope, isn’t it? That’s the definition I’ve used for years for hope. It’s a conviction that the future is bright, a sense and a feeling in the heart that the future is bright based on the promises of God. And so, for the eunuch, the future was indescribably bright. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t persecuted in Ethiopia. We don’t know anything, but we do know that he went on his way rejoicing.

Wes

Well, this has been Episode 17 in our Acts Bible Study podcast. We invite you to join us next time for Episode 18 entitled The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, where we’ll discuss Acts 9:1-19. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.