Acts 8:26-40
Dear RTB’ers,
Yesterday we read about Philip, one of the seven deacons mentioned in Acts 6 going north from Jerusalem to preach to Samaritans. Today the Spirit takes Philip south of Jerusalem toward Gaza where he meets the Ethiopian eunuch. Then after the eunuch is baptized, the Spirit snatches Philip away and he “found himself at Azotus” (v. 40), one of the five Philistine cities (from King David’s time). Then he preaches to cities along the way (some sixty miles) until he gets to Caesarea. Then we don’t hear from Philip again until Acts 21:8 when Paul and Luke stay at his house in Caesarea some twenty-five years later. Put yourself into Philip’s place – north to the Samaritans, south toward Gaza, west to Azotus, then north to Caesarea. Quite a bit of traveling and Spirit leading!!
After being baptized the eunuch went on his way “rejoicing”. So I wonder what happened after that? The eunuch had come to Jerusalem to worship (Acts 8:27), so clearly he was familiar with Judaism. There must have been a synagogue in the capital city where he lived and he might have been a regular there, one of those “God-fearing Gentiles” that we read about later. Now he returns to Ethiopia “rejoicing”. (Acts 8:39) I’m sure that Philip’s teaching stayed with the eunuch and that he shared Jesus with others at his synagogue. No doubt many of the Jews at his synagogue had been in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, so they would have known about Jesus. Put it all together and I can see many conversions of these Ethiopian Jews! We don’t know that, but the excitement that new believers exude can be infectious!
So where does that leave us “old believers”? Are we rejoicing and sharing? I regularly go back to Peter and John in Acts 4:20: We can’t help but speak of the things we have seen and heard! REJOICE!!
Blessings!