Acts 8:26-40

Acts 8:26-40

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,

“Get up and head south on the road

that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.”

So he got up and set out.

Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,

a court official of the Candace,

that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,

in charge of her entire treasury,

who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.

Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit said to Philip,

“Go and join up with that chariot.”

Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

He replied,

“How can I, unless someone instructs me?”

So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.

This was the Scripture passage he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who will tell of his posterity?

For his life is taken from the earth.

Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,

"I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?

About himself, or about someone else?"

Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,

he proclaimed Jesus to him.

As they traveled along the road

they came to some water,

and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water.

What is to prevent my being baptized?”

Then he ordered the chariot to stop,

and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,

and he baptized him.

When they came out of the water,

the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,

and the eunuch saw him no more,

but continued on his way rejoicing.

Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news

to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you will that your Word spread to the ends of the earth and reach all nations. There are so many today who are unfamiliar with you and your Word. I pray for those who do not know you, and I promise to do what I can to spread the Gospel message to those around me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Philip Interprets the Prophet Isaiah: In the First Reading, Philip the deacon found an Ethiopian eunuch in his chariot reading aloud a passage from Isaiah. It seems that the eunuch had come to believe in the one God whom the Jews worshiped. However, as a eunuch, “he was barred from becoming a full member of God's people and entering the inner courts of the temple (Deut 23:2)” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 146). Through the prophet Isaiah, however, God promised that in the age of the Messiah, foreigners, even eunuchs, would be welcomed into the temple as members of God’s people. Isaiah writes: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me, and who hold fast to my covenant, I give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name” (see Isaiah 56:3-7).

2. Philip’s Response to the Spirit: Philip was docile and obedient to the action of the Holy Spirit. He heard the Spirit’s voice telling him, “Go and join up with that chariot.” God wanted the Gospel to be spread to all nations, and he chose Philip to be a part of that mission. Philip, one of the seven deacons of the early Church, eventually settled in Caesarea and was known as “the evangelist” (Acts 21:8). As an evangelist, Philip helped the Ethiopian understand one of Isaiah’s four passages on the Suffering Servant of the Lord. This servant was called by God and commissioned by God to suffer in silence for the sins of the people. This prophecy was realized perfectly in the passion of Jesus Christ. The eunuch was taught many other things that day about Jesus Christ and his Church. Baptism was among these things. The eunuch, on seeing water beside the road, asks Philip: “What is to prevent my being baptized?” The answer is that nothing does. As Kurz comments: “Until then, even if he desired to convert to Judaism, he was barred from full membership in God’s people (Deut 23:2). Now he sees there is no longer anything to hinder him! His faith in Jesus was enough for him to be incorporated into the people of God through baptism” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 148).

3. Philip the Baptizer: Through his baptism, the eunuch becomes an adopted son of God, a member of Christ’s mystical body, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. On coming out of the waters, he will go and spread the Gospel in his native land. Through his faith in Jesus Christ, the Ethiopian eunuch receives eternal life, and now he will bring others to enjoy that same life. The baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch by the deacon Philip serves as a prelude to the baptism of the first Gentle by Peter (see Acts 10).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, the Father has drawn me to you. I have found you, and I love you. I humbly ask that you raise me up on the last day to be with you and the Father. You are everything to me.

Living the Word of God: Philip was able to explain the Word of God to the Ethiopian eunuch. What can I do to better my understanding of Sacred Scripture this year? How can I bring the Word of God into my prayer life more frequently?