Philip Baptizes a Man from Ethiopia

October 28, 2012 Background Scripture: Acts 8:26 – 39 Lesson Passage: Acts 8:26 – 39 Today’s lesson continues to follow the ministry of Philip. In our text today, Philip is being led by the angel of the Lord into an encounter with a person whose heart’s desire was to be a worshiper of God. This encounter took place in the desert between Jerusalem and Gaza. On this desert road, Philip met an Ethiopian dignitary traveling in a chariot away from a worship gathering in Jerusalem. The Spirit of God directed Philip to pursue an encounter with the chariot. As Philip approached the chariot, he observed the man reading from the scroll of Isaiah. Philip engaged the man in conversation concerning the passage he was reading. This led to an invitation for Philip to join the Ethiopian in the chariot. The Ethiopian began to interrogate him about the meaning of Isaiah’s writing. Philip used the text from Isaiah to preach Jesus Christ to the Ethiopian. Because the man returning from worship apparently had a heart that was receptive to the gospel message, he asked a logical question concerning water baptism. Just as the Holy Ghost had arranged the encounter, he also provided a body of water in the desert that no doubt prompted the question of baptism. Although the question seems a simple one today, it was by no means simple then in terms of an answer that would have been obvious. The Ethiopian was returning from worship in Jerusalem and he had a copy of the Holy Scripture. This scenario suggests that the Ethiopian was a Jewish proselyte. As such, he would have been used to many restrictions or hindrances in terms of his participation in the Jewish religious rituals. In Jerusalem, he would have been restricted at the temple to only going into the court of Gentiles. And being a eunuch, he would have faced even further restrictions in terms of the Jewish rituals as stipulated in the book of Leviticus. Although the Ethiopian eunuch desired to worship the one true and living God and even pursued his desire through Judaism, he constantly faced restrictions and setbacks along the way. His question was indeed a valid one. What prevents me from being baptized in water? Is it because I am a gentile or is it because I am a eunuch? Philip provided a simple answer that was probably more refreshing to the Ethiopian than finding a body of water in the desert. The qualification for baptism in the name of Jesus is not dependent on nationality or absence of physical blemishes. Where there is water and the proper authority, the only qualification for the candidate for baptism is faith in the saving power of the blood of Jesus as the sinless son of God. Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. The Ethiopian quickly confessed to his belief in Jesus as the son of God. With that, he commanded the chariot to stand still and he and Philip went down into the water. They did not go down by the water but down into the water. We are not told how the rite was administered, but when it was over, they both came up out of the water. Mission accomplished. The Holy Ghost then translated Philip from that place to another where Philip continued to preach. Meanwhile, the new convert, the Ethiopian, went his way rejoicing in the Lord; for he had received the Lord as his savior but even better the Lord had received him as his child. Philip was there to acknowledge it through water baptism. Robert C. Hudson October 12, 2012