ACTS 8:29

In Acts chapter eight we are reading the incident of Philip having met up with the Ethiopian eunuch on a highway in Gaza. The Bible says in Acts 8:29-31, “But the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Understandeth thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.”

As we will see in just a few verses, the Ethiopian eunuch was reading from Isaiah chapter fifty-three, which is one of the great chapters of the Old Testament that goes into detail about the sufferings of the Messiah. The exact parallel between Isaiah chapter fifty-three and what happened to Jesus at Calvary are obvious. But of course, the parallels are only obvious to those who have the spirit of understanding because they have been enlightened through the new birth that comes by faith in Christ. As wonderful as the Bible is, it can only be understood by those who have spiritual understanding. That is why the cults use the Bible and come up with false doctrines. And that is why the Bible is a hidden book even to those like the Ethiopian eunuch who would open its pages and desire to understand what they read. First Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

If individuals like the Ethiopian eunuch cannot understand the Bible on their own, how are they going to get the understanding that they need? The eunuch knew what he needed. His answer when he was questioned about his understanding of what he was reading was, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” That is exactly the method that God uses. Every Christian is given one or more gifts to use in the service of Christ. Some Christians are given the gift to understand and to teach God’s Word for the benefit of those who would hear. Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” People who have hungry hearts need to hear good teachings from God’s Word. Without these teachings they will not grow. Woe to those who have starved God’s people or who have fed them the wrong things. The judgment will be a terrible time for those who have neglected this important responsibility and calling.

Returning to the Ethiopian eunuch the Bible says in Acts 8:32-35, “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb to his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” Isaiah chapter fifty-three, the suffering Messiah, is a description of what Jesus suffered when he died on the cross for the sins of the world.

The first thing said in this passage was that “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.” In the time of Moses one of the plagues brought upon the Egyptians was the death of the firstborn, but God said that for those who would sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on the door-posts, there would be salvation. God said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. An innocent one died, and others benefited from its death. That is the story of God’s salvation. One must die so that others might live. In the Old Testament sheep were sacrificed in the temple ritual, and these sacrifices were for the remission of sin. But the blood of animals was not sufficient to pay the price for man’s sins, and so God sent His sent Jesus into the world in the fullness of times. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, John said, “Behold the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.”

On that fateful day when Jesus died for the sins of the world, he was as a sheep led to the slaughter; and “opened he not his mouth.” Jesus had been falsely accused before Pilate the Roman governor, and Pilate knew it. The Bible records in Mark 15:4-5, “And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? Behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled.” One of the reasons that Jesus did not answer these false accusations was because Jesus knew that for this reason He had come into the world. Jesus could have done far more than answer the accusations against Him. He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set him free. Instead, He died alone for you and for me.

Finally the Ethiopian eunuch understood, and the Bible says in Acts 8:36-38, “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, here is water, what does hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still; and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized them.” Once again this is a good illustration of just how baptism was practiced in the first century. First one became a true believer in Jesus Christ, and then after believing and making a profession of faith, one is eligible to be baptized. Salvation comes by faith in Christ. Baptism is not a part of salvation. It comes afterwards. This Ethiopian eunuch was baptized maybe five minutes, maybe fifteen minutes, and maybe an hour or more after believing in Christ.

Notice that the eunuch gave testimony to the divinity of Christ. He said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” This is similar to the statement of faith that Peter made about Jesus. Peter said to Jesus in Matthew 16:16, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Apostle Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” Do you see the common theme here in these three statements of faith: Christ the divine Son of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Anyone who truly believes that Jesus is the Son of God is saved, and anyone who does not believe is not saved. The Apostle John wrote in First John 4:2-3, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even so now already is it in the world.”

In Acts 10:39-40 the Bible says, “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus; and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.” It is a wonderful thing how God brings people into our lives to help us on our journey with Christ. Some of them are used to bring us to Christ, as Philip was used in the life of the Ethiopian eunuch. Some of them are there just at the right time when an important spiritual lesson needs to be learned. Some of them are there for just a short period of time, maybe to teach us something from the Scriptures that we really needed to know to put another piece of the puzzle together, and to be a blessing that we would never forget. Philip was not with the eunuch very long: just long enough to present him the gospel and to teach him about Jesus the Savior. Philip left the eunuch, but the eunuch was not alone. He would never be alone again. He now had Jesus as his Savior and he inherited all of the promises that Jesus gives to every believer: the same promises that you and I have. And Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Notice the condition of the eunuch after he believed in Christ. The Bible says that “he went on his way rejoicing.” There is no greater joy in the world than the joy of salvation. Is the salvation of the Lord your joy? It can be. Those who understand what it means to be in darkness and what it means to be under the guilt of sin, easily find great joy in the salvation that Christ brings to them. No wonder that Paul wrote to Christians and said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” There may be sorrow and pain for a short while, but none of them can steal your joy if you draw close to the Lord and remember His great salvation.

In Acts chapter nine we come to the great story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. It says in Acts 9:1-4, “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed he came near to Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”

Once again we are reminded of how great were the sins of Saul of Tarsus. No wonder that he called himself the greatest of sinners. If your sins or mine were written down here in graphic detail, we would say the same about you and me. Saul had already been involved in sending these good, dear Christian people to prison in Jerusalem; and now he was going to Damascus to do the same thing there. But God had other plans for Saul. This revelation of Jesus to Saul on the road to Damascus is a perfect picture of the way that salvation happens to every true believer.

Until this event Saul of Tarsus did not know Jesus the Savior. Undoubtedly Saul thought that Jesus was a man like any other man and that the death of Jesus was the end of Jesus. But Jesus rose from the dead and Jesus is alive. Jesus is alive today, and Jesus was alive when Saul was on the dusty road to Damascus. Being alive and being the Son of God, Jesus can appear to anyone at any time and reveal Himself. Normally Jesus reveals Himself spiritually and lets His presence be known to a lost soul. But in the case of the Apostle Paul Jesus revealed Himself bodily as well as spiritually. Perhaps the main reason for this was that Paul was called to be an apostle, and one of the main requirements for an apostle was to see the Christ and to talk with Him and to learn from Him. Paul was an apostle born out of due season, but he was an apostle in every sense of the word just like the other eleven.

What does a lost person need? They need to be stopped in their tracks by a visit from Jesus. Saul of Tarsus was a great enemy of Christians. He was a great problem for Christians. What happened to Saul was the best solution possible to the problem: Saul became a believer in Jesus the Savior. As believers we should always hope and pray for just such a solution for those whom we regard as the enemies of the gospel. We should not pray that they receive vengeance for their sins against us, but that they receive mercy. Once they come to know Christ, the same effort and energy that they used to oppose the gospel, they will then use to help spread the gospel and honor the name of Christ. That is what Paul did. The greatest sinners often make the best saints. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” God likes to prove that it all happened only because of Him and His grace through Christ.

The reason that Saul of Tarsus did the horrible things that he did against the believers was because of Saul’s own spiritual blindness. He could not perceive the truth. He was blind. That is the spiritual significance behind the fact that the first thing that Saul saw in this experience on the road to Damascus was a light from heaven. If you are in spiritual darkness, then you need light: light from heaven. Jesus is the Light of the world. Through Jesus you will finally be able to see. Hank Williams wrote a great gospel song on this theme. It goes something like this: “I see the Light, I see the Light. No more darkness, no more night. Since Jesus found me; took away my sin. Praise the Lord, I see the Light.”

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