Commentary of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins
Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible
Bible Study Acts 8: 25-40
Text:
An Ethiopian Receives Christ
25 So, when they had solemnly borne witness and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
26 But an angel of the [a]Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Rise up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ([b]This is a desert road.) 27 So he rose up and went; and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his [c]chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this [d]chariot.” 30 And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
“As a sheep is led to slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth.
33
In humiliation His judgment was taken away;
Who will [e]recount His [f]generation?
For His life is removed from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you earnestly, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 [g][And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he ordered the [h]chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, [i]but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip [j]found himself at [k]Azotus, and as he passed through he kept proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
Verse by verse commentary:
Verse 25: “So, when they had solemnly borne witness and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.”
The gospel had started to spread. It started in Jerusalem. The Apostles were there and a church was established. Soon the center would move to Antioch. Then it will move to Ephesus. Later it will move to Alexandria, then to Rome. Today, I don’t think there is any one central location for the church. It has spread across the globe.
Verse 26: “But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Rise up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)”
Samaria is north of Jerusalem. Philip is instructed to go down to the south. The Gaza strip is south, over along the Mediterranean. This was the trade route into Egypt and Ethiopia. Philip had been speaking to multitudes in Samaria, and now he is sent down to a desert. He was leaving the place where there has been a great movement of the Holy Spirit and heading to a place, a desert, where there is nobody.
Verse 27: “So he rose up and went; and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship,”
An “eunuch” was either an emasculated official in the royal court or to a high official of government. Ethiopia was south of Egypt in what today is Ethiopia and Sudan.
Verse 28: “and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.”
The eunuch knew the importance of seeking God through the Scripture. This is an example of God’s Sovereign grace moving in the heart of an unbeliever prior to his being saved. The Holy Spirit must have moved on his heart for him to desire to read God’s Word.
Verse 29: “Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
The Holy Spirit is Sovereignly directing what is occurring with the eunuch. This is the case in every person who is born again. Philip is the man of God whom the Spirit of God is using Providentially to bring about His will for the Ethiopian.
Verse 30: “And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’”
In Bible times, people normally read out loud. Philip’s question goes right to the point.
Verse 31: “And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
The eunuch responds with a common sense answer and then takes steps (by inviting Philip to transition from a hitchhiker to rider) to hear for. It is clear the Holy Spirit is drawing him to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 32: “Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
‘As a sheep is led to slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth.’”
He was reading from Isaiah 53: 7-8.
Verse 33: “‘In humiliation His judgment was taken away;
Who will recount His generation?
For His life is removed from the earth.’”
The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled these prophecies exactly as written. One has to deny the obvious to challenge that Christ did not fulfill the prophecies for the coming Messiah.
Verse 34: “And the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you earnestly, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?’”
The confusion was understandable. Even among Jewish rabbis, there was disagreement on what the sheep being slaughtered represented. Some thought the nation of Israel, Isaiah himself, or the Messiah.
Verse 35: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.”
An evangelist can only speak to the mind of a person. It is our duty to be prepared to preach the truth. It is the Holy Spirit that takes the message to the mind and applies it to the heart. Without the action of the Holy Spirit, no one would ever believe. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2: 8).
Verse 36: “And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, ‘Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?’”
The eunuch is responding to the grace that has been given to him. He wants to commit to his faith. He wants to be baptized in this new faith.
Verse 37: “And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’”
Philip did not want a repeat of the false convert Simon in Samaria. He sets a good pattern for us to follow today. Before accepting church members or putting someone in a position of spiritual authority, or baptizing them, ask them how God saved them. Philip points to salvation as a heart issue. The eunuch confessed with his mouth what he believed in his heart. He was a good candidate for baptism.
Verse 38: “And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.”
Neither Philip nor the eunuch had a vessel to store water for baptism so they had to go down into the water. According to custom, they would have walked barefoot in the water up to about ankle or mid calf range. Philip would have sprinkled water on him completing the baptism.
Verse 39: “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.”
Two thoughts are generally associated with the interpretation of this verse: (1) the Holy Spirit performed a miracle and transported Philip instantly; or (2) the Holy Spirit suddenly, but not miraculously, moved on Philip to depart from that area quickly and go to Azotus. However it happened, God brought Philip to another place.
Verse 40: “But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.”
Azotus was Old Testament Ashdod. “Found” is literally “was found.” So the verse could read, “But Philip was found at Azotus.” That interpretation implies nothing miraculous occurred.
