Reading Luke/Acts Together #62 – The Ethiopian Eunuch
I love the dramatic story we find in Acts 8:26-40. One of the Bible's most intriguing characters is the Ethiopian eunuch - who would have struck ancient people as a bit exotic, but strange, an outsider despite his stellar social standing. He was a court official of the queen! - and as Anthony Robinson and Robert Wall explain, "He is certainly not materially impoverished but is indeed spiritually hungry."
Just being from Ethiopia – the rumored source of the Nile, believed to be full of treasure houses of gold! I’ve always wanted to go there, mostly to see those astonishing underground churches - carved deep down into the rock!
Notice that the chariot passes Philip on the road, leaving him behind – but the Spirit says “Catch him!” So, “Philip ran.” Running is cool is our culture, but back in Bible times, running was generally done when some army or killer was chasing you. The father in Jesus’ great parable ran to welcome his wayward son. And the disciples ran to the tomb when they heard Jesus had risen. Rare instances of running, underlining the urgency of what’s at stake here. God is literally chasing this Ethiopian who, as we will see, was shunned by the vast majority of people. God wants him.
Philip finds him sitting in his chariot on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza - a very perilous road today! - and the Ethiopian is reading from Isaiah 53. In those days, he would have read out loud (as everyone did!), and he would have been holding a large, 24 foot long scroll that would be quite heavy; among the Dead Sea scrolls was found an intact scroll of Isaiah from New Testament times! The process of unrolling such a bulky scroll to a certain passage would have been difficult, and would have required some time and patience. We are reminded of Jesus reading also from Isaiah in the synagogue (Luke 4:16-20). We know that the sheer act of reading the Bible can convert people; one of our lay testimonies during our revival in January shared a moving story of this happening for him! But the fact is, for the Bible to make sense, help is needed: a guide, someone who understands, a trusted teacher. God's Word is an extremely long book, overwhelming, not like a dime store novel - and there are so many ridiculous mis-readings of the Bible that confuse readers. Countless religious bestsellers pander to our selfishness, whereas the living God would use Scripture like a scalpel to cut out what will kill us if left unattended.
Bible reading is not a solo activity; if we read alone, we get lost; we hunt for affirmation of our pet notions. We read best with others; we need wise teachers, guidebooks, footnotes. Philip probes a mystifying passage with the eunuch, and helps him go deep to find its profound meaning.
Interestingly, the eunuch had to be totally surprised, puzzled, but then delighted to read Isaiah's message of salvation through one who was despised, rejected, outcast, and wounded; this Ethiopian knew what that felt like. A God who entered into solidarity with people like himself, the outsiders, the mistrusted, the pitied, the judged? The Ethiopian was quick to believe, to jump in, to commit. Thinking on this, Anthony Robinson was led to question modern evangelistic efforts with their "target audiences," in which the demographics are congenial: "Who are the Ethiopian eunuchs for us?" Or as Bishop Dick Wills suggested, churches should constantly pray, Lord, send us the people nobody else wants. How do we join in and embody God’s boundary-transgressing, all-inclusive love?
The best guidance to understanding the Bible isn't necessarily from the most scholarly teacher. We need guides who don't know things about the Bible so much as they actually embody the Bible in real life. Without those who exhibit a radical life of humble service to God, who cannot hide their fiery passion for God, no one will ever understand God's Word.