Bible Study series. Acts 8:26-40. This was a divine appointment, set up by the Spirit and an angel.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 8:26-40
26 An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get up and go southward on the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza,” (which was in the desert). 27 And he got up and went, and look! There was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch, an official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasury and had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28 He was returning and sitting in his wagon and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Approach and join this wagon.” 30 Philip ran up alongside and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you really know what you’re reading?” 31 And he replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” He invited Philip to mount and sit with him. 32 The section of Scripture which he had been reading was this:
Like a sheep is led to slaughter
And as a lamb is silent before its shearer,
So he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation, his justice was removed.
Who shall tell of his descendants?
His life was taken up from the earth. [Is. 53:7-8]
34 In reply, the eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this? Himself or someone else?” 35 Philip began to speak, and beginning from this writing, he proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.
36 As they were going along the road, they came on some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! Water!” What’s to prevent me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the wagon to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 When they got up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord whisked Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found in Azotus, and as he was going throughout the area, he preached the good news to all the towns, until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:26-40)
Comments:
26:
“angel”: An angel, both in Hebrew and Greek, is really a messenger. Angels are created beings, while Jesus was the one who created all things, including angels (John 1:1-4). The risen and exalted Jesus is the one who sent this angel to Philip. Renewalists believe that angels appear to people in their dreams or in person. It is God’s ongoing ministry through them to us.
Here is a multi-part study of angels in the area of systematic theology, but first, here is a summary list of the basics:
Angels:
(a) Are messengers (in Hebrew mal’ak and in Greek angelos);
(b) Are created spirit beings;
(c) Have a beginning at their creation (not eternal);
(d) Have a beginning, but they are immortal (deathless).
(e) Have moral judgment;
(f) Have a certain measure of free will;
(g) Have high intelligence;
(h) Do not have physical bodies;
(i) But can manifest with immortal bodies before humans;
(j) They can show the emotion of joy.
Angels: Their Duties and Missions
Angels: Their Names and Ranks and Heavenly Existence
Angels: Their Origins, Abilities, and Nature
In this case the angel is carrying out his mission to help am Ethiopian treasurer who is about to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14).
Where does the angel’s speech end and the parenthetical comment begin? Did the angel give those specific direction, or did Luke insert them? I say the angel gave them; otherwise, Philip might have missed his destiny to offer salvation and Jesus to the Ethiopian. But then why would an angel use the past tense “was”? Or Luke is translating it retrospectively in his story, so it has to be in the past tense. Either way, the directions were clear.
Don’t miss God’s plan for your life (1 Thess. 2:18)—but if you do, God has an equally good plan for you to replace it!
27:
Obedience to the voice of God—in this case it was delivered through an angel—is always better than disobedience.
“look!”: this translates the old “Behold!”
The eunuch was an official high up in Candace’s court. Make no mistake: the man was black. Ethiopian was on the southern end of the Nile River. The country was also called Nubia or Cush, and various Scriptures promise outreach to them.
The name “Candace” indicates a title of a queenly dynasty who handled the day to day operations of the royal court because the king was too high and sacred for such earthly affairs. Candace was the king’s queen-mother, and this title and role went down through the generations (Peterson, comments on vv. 27-28). She was a real person, however.
The Ethiopian eunuch was in Jerusalem to worship because he was probably Jewish or a proselyte (a Gentile convert to Judaism). God will reach anyone. And yes, Ethiopia is in Africa, so God does not care about race. Just reach people.
In ancient Greek times, long before the NT was written, people believed that Ethiopia was at the very the end of the earth. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 to go to the ends of the earth. This eunuch was going to carry on this mission. See Keener, pp. 270-73 for a quick history of Ethiopia up to that time, two thousand years ago.
As a eunuch, he was excluded from full temple worship: “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord” (Deut. 23:1)
28:
“wagon”: it was not a military chariot, but a carriage or covered wagon. No doubt it was driven by a wagon master, or maybe the eunuch was driving and was going so slowly that he could read out loud and let the horse pull him at the same time. Bock adds another description: it was a regal-like chariot (not a war chariot) with sides, a roof, and a curtain (comments on vv. 27-28, p. 342). It could hold at least three persons: the treasurer, his drive, and Philip. Probably some servants were there too.
“reading”: It was probably in a Greek scroll. In those days people read out loud because the words on the page were jammed together, like this: Asasheepisledtoslaughter. They also read aloud for better comprehension.
“Isaiah the prophet”: a divine appointment for Philip and the treasurer because he was reading from Is. 53, the Suffering Servant chapter, which is clearly about Jesus! A divine setup!
Bruce says that the laws of Israel precluded eunuchs from enjoying the full benefits of the community (Deut. 23:1), yet the removal of this ban was anticipated in Is. 56:3-8.
Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”
And let no eunuch complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will endure forever.
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.” (Is. 56:3-8, NIV)
Jesus was about to accept this eunuch, lifting off of him the religious exclusion against him.
29:
“the Spirit”: is this the angel, or the Holy Spirit? Angels are called spirits (Heb. 1:14). I always thought this was the Holy Spirit, speaking directly to the mind and heart of Philip. Either way, Renewalists believe that God speaks the same today as he did back then. It is a restrictive and shriveled pneumatology (doctrine of the Spirit) to put God in a box and tell him what he can or cannot do, particularly when the Scripture affirms the fact that God speaks in this way. But be sure to submit this voice to the Scriptures because we know they are inspired, but we are not confident that you are not inspired on the same level. For example, be sure that your own head or Satan told you to pursue another man’s wife!
What Does the New Covenant Retain from the Old?
One Decisive Difference Between Sinai Covenant and New Covenant
Ten Commandments: God’s Great Compromise with Humanity’s Big Failure
How Jesus Christ Fulfills the Law: Matthew 5:17-19
30:
“ran alongside”: Elijah ran with a chariot (1 Kings 18:46 and was carried away (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:11). Jeremiah’s pious Ethiopian eunuch friend helped him out of the pit (Jer. 38:7-13).
I like the image of Philip trotting with the wagon, probably just behind the treasurer, barely out of view. The wagon or carriage was rattling so the treasurer couldn’t hear him. Philip was eavesdropping!
Philip asked him a relevant question that was directly connected to the Ethiopian’s life and interests. It was obvious. In your own witness, ask friendly questions to the person who is open. Soon enough he will reveal something that opens the door for you to share God’s love and pray with him.
“know”:
31:
“guide”: It literally means “path-guide” or “road-leader.” 1 John 2:27 says we have an anointing in us, so we do not need anyone to teach us, but through this anointing we can remain in him. However, that verse appears in the context of false teachers who were tempting John’s readers to go astray, prying them loose from sound doctrine—John’s teaching. John is saying that the Spirit will guide his readers to stay true to John’s teaching—from John the apostle, a teacher! The same is happening here in v. 31. The treasurer needed Philip’s guidance. The Ethiopian did not yet have any anointing at all.
The high-level official invited Philip to ride along with him. A good question from Philip invited a positive response.
32-33:
A perfect Messianic verse, for Philip to explain. Jesus was the lamb. His life was taken from him because of an injustice. Recall that in Peter’s sermon before the Sanhedrin and to a general Jerusalem audience he proclaimed that they were the ones who were partly responsible for the injustice done to the Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Further, Jesus had no descendants. He knew early on (Luke 2:49) that he was born to die for the sins of the world. He would not get married.
9. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Died for You
“life”: It is the noun zoē (pronounced zoh-ay, and girls are named after it, e.g. Zoey). BDAG is considered by many to be the authoritative NT Greek lexicon, and it says that it has two senses, depending on the context: a physical life (e.g. life and breath) and a transcendent life. By physical life the editors mean the period from birth to death, human activity, a way or manner of living, a period of usefulness, earning a living. By transcendent life the lexicographers mean these four elements: first, God himself is life and offers us everlasting life. Second, Christ is life, who received life from God, and now we can receive life from Christ. Third, it is new life of holiness and righteousness and grace. God’s life filling us through Christ changes our behavior. Fourth, zoē means life in the age to come, or eschatological life. So our new life now will continue into the next age, which God fully and finally ushers in when Christ returns. We will never experience mere existence or death, but we will be fully and eternally alive in God.
In this verse is it the first definition.
34-35:
The treasurer asked more questions. He was ripe for salvation.
“began to speak: literally, “opening his mouth.”
“the good news about Jesus”: See v. 4 for the Greek verb. Just proclaim Jesus to new converts or soon-to-be converts.
We should assume that the quoted verses are merely representative of the entire passage of Is. 52:13-53:12, as v. 35 makes clear. Is. 53:7 talks about the innocent, silent suffering servant, who is compared to a sacrificial lamb. It was an unjust death. Perfect description of Jesus.
The issue of injustice fits with the Lukan portrait of Jesus’s death. He died unjustly because he was who he claimed to be, the promised one of Israel. But there is irony here: in the generation’s act of taking Jesus life from earth, there is also, for Jesus, God’s vindication of that death. This, in effect, nullified the judgment of Jesus on earth. If there is a positive viewpoint in the reading, it is one or irony involving the vindication that the servant eventually experienced. This combination of the innocent person suffering and being taken from the earth is probably what Philip eventually explains about Jesus, with an elucidation of what this death now means in light of God’s vindication (Bock, comments on vv. 32-34).
36-38:
What a “coincidence”! Water deep enough for both of them to wade into and get dunked. No, the water did not just appear out of nowhere. Time elapsed as they traveled down the road.
“All barriers are down, and so a eunuch, a black, God-fearing Gentile, is baptized” (Bock, comment on v. 36).
“baptized”: see v. 12 for more comments.
Verse 37: The best Greek manuscripts don’t have this verse; it is obviously an insertion by an overzealous copyist or scribe. But it can be translated thus: “And Philp said, ‘If you believe with your whole heart, you shall be saved.’ And he answered, ‘I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’” Though the verse is not original, it is still sound theology, however. It reveals what the early church after the apostles lived, for centuries afterwards, even today!
So was the Ethiopian eunuch the first Gentile convert, and not Cornelius? Schnabel: “Thus many scholars see the Ethiopian as a representative of proselytes in Jewish diaspora ….” (p. 422). Cornelius was not a proselyte.
39:
“whisked”: it comes from the Greek word harpazō, which means to “catch up” or “snatch away.” It appears in 2 Cor 12:2 and 4, which says Paul was caught up to the third heaven. 1 Thess. 4:17 says that believers in Jesus will be snatched up or “raptured” (same meaning in the Latin word), to meet the Lord in the air. The commander and his soldiers whisked Paul away to safety as he appeared before the Sanhedrin (high council) in Jerusalem (Acts 23:10).
It is not clear whether the angel or the Holy Spirit transported him. But the treasurer saw it with his own eyes. The OT has passages that show people getting transported or carried away by the Spirit (1 Kings 18:12; Ezek. 3:12, 14; 8:3; 11:1, 24; 43:5).
And so, with this kind of Scriptural support, Renewalists believe this can happen today. I have heard stories about this miracle; people have seen it with their own eyes. But when it happens, be sure that the context is about Jesus and his Lordship and not a confused religious circus. Satan can work signs and wonders through false messiahs and prophets (Matt. 24:24 and Mark 13:22; 2 Thess. 2:9).
The treasurer just experienced salvation and saw an awesome sign and wonder (whisking), so of course he would rejoice. A wonderful wrap up to his story. Later church history says that he went to his homeland and preached the gospel, and many people converted.
40:
These towns (with modern names) are along the Mediterranean coast. Philip preached to towns that had strong Gentile (non-Jewish) roots, while in the next two chapters Peter will minister in coastal towns that have a strong Jewish presence (Bruce, p. 230). It is interesting that the Spirit carried Philip to those predominantly Gentile towns. But no doubt Jews still lived there, so did Philip preach only to Jews, or did his outreach include Gentiles who listened in? Whatever the case, the soil is being prepared for outreach to the Gentiles, with the endorsement of Peter himself (Acts 10-11).
The eunuch is not just any person associated with Judaism. He is a eunuch, which restricts him from Jewish worship. And as one who respected the God of Israel from a faraway land, his exposure to the gospel shows that even a brief encounter in the midst of travel can allow the gospel to spread. In all likelihood, he is another example of a God-fearer and a significant government official responding to Jesus, just what someone such as Theophilus, to whom Acts is addressed, needs to hear. Acts 8 is full of contrasts showing the expansion of the mission: there is work in the north (Samaria) and the south (Gaza on the coast); a magician and a government figure are exposed to the message, as are Samaritans and God-fearers from Africa. God is mightily at work with a wide array of people. (Bock, comment on v. 40)
And I must include the summary by Polhill. He reminds us of what happened to Philip:
Verse 40 concludes the story of Philip’s missionary activity. He appeared in Azotus, Old Testament Ashdod, and traveled about, preaching in the coastal cities. Finally arriving at Caesarea, he seems to have settled there. In Caesarea he appeared in Acts on the occasion of Paul’s visit with him (Acts 21:8) some twenty years or so after the events of chap. 8. We are told that at the time he had four unmarried daughters who all prophesied (21:9). Like their father, evidently they were open to the Spirit. All in all, Philip’s accomplishments had been considerable. He had pioneered the Samaritan mission. He had paved the way for the Gentile mission. Peter would later follow him in this with the conversion of Cornelius—interestingly in Caesarea—just as Peter followed him in Samaria. Peter was instrumental in securing community endorsement of the new missionary efforts, but Philip stood in the background as the Hellenist who first caught the vision. (comment on v. 40)
GrowApp for Acts 8:26-40
1. The Ethiopian eunuch had these strikes against him: he was black, a foreigner in Jerusalem, a Gentile (though converted to Judaism), and not fully acceptable in temple worship because of his eunuch (reproductive) disability. Yet God accepted him through his Son, Jesus Christ. How has God accepted you when circumstances were against you? Tell your story.
2. Scripture deeply touched the eunuch. It convinced him. Which Scripture touched your heart and helped you grow?
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
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