He clutched the scrolls, his eyes tracing each word, voice rising just enough to form clarity and meaning from the ancient text. Beneath a sky of lifeless azure, the desert road stretched almost infinitely–compounded by the strong winds that lift the dust off the ground into the arid air. The Ethiopian eunuch’s chariot creaked. Its wheels carved fleeting runes into the parched ground. Under his gaze, the scrolls unleashed its trembling prophecy. Its ancient word pulsating with a fierce silent power as if breathing into the desert’s heart.
***
In Samaria, as Christians continued to multiply in unparalleled numbers after the death of Stephen, Philip was caught by the angel of the Lord–perhaps in his sleep, perhaps while he was praying. “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza,” the angel of the Lord commanded Philip.
Unlike Jonah who was initially hesitant and disobedient to God’s command in rebuking the people of Nineveh, Philip, on the other hand, responded with significant obedience and speed. The Bible said, “So he started out…” (Acts 8:27 NIV) No if’s. No but’s. He simply got up and left.
***
As dust danced in spirals in the air and settled in cycles on the ground, Philip resolutely walked through the desert road with God’s Word as his armour. He didn’t know what he was up to. He had no idea what he might meet. Who knows if this might be his last hour similar to the fate of the bold and courageous Stephen. But to Philip, God’s commission is more important than his life. He didn’t care. He simply followed.
On his way, an Ethiopian eunuch was riding in his grand chariot as the scrolls laid unfurled in his hands. Probably, surrounded by his bodyguards and servants, the eunuch was unsettled with the prophecy written before his eyes.
“Go to that chariot and stay near it,” the Spirit told Philip. Immediately as Philip heard this, he ran to the chariot unafraid of any bodyguard or servant who might prevent him from going near this chariot. Perhaps the chariot was turning its wheels forward toward its destination, thus, Philip had to run at the same speed of the chariot, possibly powered by horses, to confer with the eunuch.
Who was this eunuch? What was his status in society?
The Ethiopian eunuch served as a high-ranking official under Candace (Queen of Ethiopians). As a “Chief Financial Officer” to the Queen of Ethiopia, he occupied a prestigious position that commanded respect and restricted casual access. Entrusted with managing the Queen’s treasures, Scripture didn’t explicitly tell us whether he was accompanied by an entourage of bodyguards and attendants. However, the likelihood of the eunuch not being alone is possible due to his status and authority.
On top of this, he’s not any ordinary eunuch. In ancient times, scrolls were a luxury not easily afforded by all. Only Jews afforded these costly manuscripts and no Gentiles could easily access them. Therefore such possession suggests not only wealth but also a deep engagement with Jewish scriptures. The Ethiopian eunuch, far from being an ordinary individual, had the considerable means required to acquire such a valuable item, reflecting his status and resources.
It is also possible that he could either be a Jew, or a proselyte (R.C. Sproul) before he encountered Philip in the desert road. However, the author of the Book of Acts, Luke, didn’t explicitly tell us because “the primary point is bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth, not about establishing a mission to Gentiles.” (Scott Shauf)
Why was he returning from Jerusalem?
Knowing that the eunuch had gone from Jerusalem to worship reveals that he’s a devoted follower of God. Due to his castration, Deuteronomy 23:1 barred him from entering the assembly of God. Despite his knowledge, intellect, and high status, he remained an outsider in the Jewish community.
As Philip ran toward the chariot with decisiveness and courageous resolve that only the Holy Spirit could bestow, he heard the eunuch read aloud Isaiah the Prophet. Without wasting a moment, he called out to the eunuch, perhaps raising his voice to be heard over the clatter of the chariot and the rhythmic thud of the horses’ hooves. “Do you understand what you are reading?”
“How can I unless someone explains to me,” replied back the eunuch in a loud volume. So, he invited Philip to come sit with him (Acts 8:30-31 NIV). Below, the passage reads:
He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth. (Acts 8:30-31 NIV)
Deep curiosity prompted the eunuch to ask Philip to whom the passage referred—was it the prophet Isaiah or someone else? With great knowledge and conviction, Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and expounded on the good news about Jesus. Surely, in the short time Philip taught the eunuch about the way to Jesus, he must have emphasized the importance of water baptism as a public declaration of surrendering one’s life to Christ. Surprisingly, they found water in the arid desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza where such quenching resources were rare. Water in the desert? Yes, it’s possible but it’s not too common. Just when the Ethiopian eunuch understood in his heart the Word of God, our Heavenly Father provided water on the chariot’s way.
“Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” the eunuch exclaimed! With title and authority, he ordered to stop the chariot. (Acts 8:36,38)
Apparently, chariots are of different sizes. There are those that are small enough to fit a single passenger. Others are grand, efficient for long travel. Such a chariot that carries a high ranking official like the Ethiopian eunuch who was on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, suggests that it’s no ordinary chariot used for warfare or racing but rather a grand chariot that was used for long travels. Additionally, the Greek terminology used in this passage was “harma,” meaning it’s a wheeled vehicle drawn by horses used for travel (sometimes for warfare, or racing). There’s no indication in the text that the chariot was carried by servants, which would be unusual for the term harma.
The travel from Jerusalem to Gaza alone implies a long journey with a distance of 80 km to say the least. Moreover, this elite chariot that carried the eunuch during the 1st century AD, other than being horse-drawn, must have had a driver to guide the rein in its path and direction in such complex desert terrain. It is also worth emphasizing that the eunuch ordered the chariot to stop (Acts 8:38), which implies that the eunuch had authority over someone to stop the vehicle. Although the text made no mention of bodyguards, servants, or driver, the text doesn’t rule out additional attendants due to the capacity of the chariot, when the eunuch invited Philip to sit with him, and his authority over someone to stop the chariot in its terrain (Acts 8:38).
The importance of describing the kind of chariot the Ethiopian was riding and his title as an official is to emphasize how bold and courageous Philip was that he was never intimidated by anybody of societal stature, authority or wealth. He’s a Jesus pleaser, not a man pleaser.
As both Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch set their gaze toward water in the middle of the desert road, they went down into it and got the eunuch baptized. As soon as they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord hastily snatched Philip away and in a brief second, the eunuch saw him no more. I can imagine the dust swirling in spiraling patterns and settling into the ground again. Despite the unexplainable disappearance of Philip, the Ethiopian felt no fear but rather went on his way back to the chariot rejoicing!
Where was Philip? Why did he disappear? Well, he got teleported to Azotus and traveled about preaching the gospel in all towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:40)
***
Morning greeted us cheerfully on this blessed Thanksgiving day. I was alone at the dining table with my physical Bible on the side of my Mac as I studied intently the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. This has been part of my writing plan for a couple of months since the day we facilitated this topic to our Discipleship Group. The Book of Acts written by Luke (and Paul) to Theophilus captured me profoundly as I dreamt of something in 2015. It’s my desire to understand the chapters in these pages–to convey the story with creativity, care and conviction. As I read the passage, my daughter approached me at the table and asked what I was reading about. So I narrated it to her until we reached “teleportation.” Apparently, Philip’s teleportation from the desert road to Azotus both amused us as this is the sort of occurrence that only happens in cartoons!
I guess to the eunuch’s mind, it’s a confirmation that Philip was truly brought to him by the Lord because Philip disappeared right after he got baptized. It can also be observed that the Ethiopian eunuch was seriously and sincerely studying the scrolls he held in his hands, and he just couldn’t understand what he was reading, not because he lacked intellect. How could he become the chief of treasury of the Queen of Candace if he wasn’t intelligent, first of all!?
When the Lord appointed Philip for a task, he was faithful and obedient to follow the angel of the Lord to go to the desert road as instructed. The moment he had a glimpse of the grand chariot, neither did he back off nor run away from this sacred appointment, which the Lord planned beforehand. As Acts 6:3 describes him and the other seven deacons, he was full of the Spirit and wisdom. His ministry in Samaria and the desert road both confirm that he was rather bold, courageous, and obedient to God. He knew that not even mere intellect is sufficient to unveil the mystery of the scrolls. The Holy Spirit blessed him with wisdom and knowledge and he was used to pronouncing to the eunuch, who was in search of truth, to reveal the truth. Philip’s mission is inspired by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) assigned to every follower of God who’s been deeply studying the Scriptures.
When Philip began preaching the Prophet Isaiah and the good news of Jesus, he must have never missed the importance of water baptism, which urged the eunuch to get baptized as soon as they saw water in the desert!
Nevertheless, the good news of Jesus encompasses repentance, forgiveness, grace, spiritual transformation, and most of all, truth. In some Biblical passages, Jesus commanded repentance such as in Matthew 4:17 when He was in Capernaum after John was put to prison and Acts 8 when he commanded the woman who was caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more.” In other passages, although repentance was not explicitly mentioned, Jesus urged believers to become worshippers in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) This is the work of the Holy Spirit, for believers to search for truth and to know the truth with understanding following spiritual transformation. The Holy Spirit empowers transformation in every human being away from the practice of sinning (1 John 3:9) and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
The Ethiopian eunuch was earnestly seeking God, deeply desiring to understand the Scriptures he was reading. In response, God divinely guided Philip to meet him on the desert road. It was as if God provided living water in a parched land, quenching the eunuch’s spiritual thirst. With boldness and compassion, Philip fearlessly explained the prophecy from the book of Isaiah, recognizing the eunuch’s sincere hunger for truth. From there, he led him through the Good News of Jesus, giving light to the path of salvation.
BIBLE VERSE
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)