Augsburg Fortress

An Approach to Christian Witness

Study Guide on Acts 8:26-40
By Nathan Frambach

Introduction

What does it mean to be church and live God’s mission today? I believe that on the new wilderness roads emerging all around us being “on mission” looks strikingly similar to what happened on another wilderness road nearly 2000 years ago when someone was sent – and went – to an unexpected place and was encountered in a deeply mutual and relational way by another and in whose midst the Spirit worked mutual transformation. This is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, and I believe it is a case study in miniature of what it means to be church and live God’s mission today.

Please take time to carefully read Acts 8:26-40. If you are in a group setting, have someone read the text aloud so it can be heard. Then discuss what you read using the questions that follow.

Nate’s thoughts on the text

We learn in the sixth chapter of Acts that the fledgling Christian community chose several believers to serve as what we call deacons today, thus freeing the apostles to concentrate on preaching and teaching. Among them was a man named Stephen. Stephen obviously ministered to the needs of others and spoke God’s Word quite effectively for soon after being chosen by the disciples he was martyred…but not before he had his say. Stephen’s last words, recorded in the seventh chapter of Acts, comprise virtually the entire chapter.

Having witnessed this act of public violence, the apostles scattered throughout the countryside, a somewhat natural and understandable response. They were not deterred, however, from their work and they continued to proclaim God’s Word. Among those who went from place to place proclaiming the Messiah was Philip. His first stop was Samaria where crowds of people, including a magic-user named Simon, listened, were amazed, and believed his message about Jesus and the kingdom of God. When word of what was happening in Samaria made its way back to Jerusalem, reinforcements were sent to join Philip, namely, Peter and John. But they didn’t stay long. After a scathing rebuke of the newly converted Simon, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, which was the hub of apostolic ministry. Not Philip. An “angel of the Lord” told Philip to head south toward Gaza along a wilderness road. Philip obeyed and had an amazing encounter along the way. His experience with the Ethiopian eunuch is paradigmatic and holds many clues and cues for the kind of ministry to which we are called today.

From all appearances, the Ethiopian was a powerful man. We are told that as a court official to the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, he was in charge of her entire treasury. He rode a chariot that presumably was escorted by an armed guard. According to the biblical account, he had been to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home. Now it’s a long, long distance from Jerusalem to Ethiopia and so, like many of us, the Ethiopian official read to pass the time. But he didn’t read the latest adventures of Harry Potter or the newest works by Jan Karon or Tom Clancy. He read an ancient manuscript of the prophet Isaiah. Apparently Isaiah’s words were captivating enough to rouse his curiosity because when Philip arrived on the scene, the official asked him a question or two.

It seems to me that this text from the book of Acts is rife with questions that remain unanswered. I wonder why the Ethiopian official was in Jerusalem in the first place. How did he come to worship while he was there? Did he go to Jerusalem with the express purpose of worshipping, or did he see the flyer posted on a pillar and decide on a whim to check it out? Was this powerful man, so entrusted with responsibility by his queen, denied access to the Temple’s inner sanctum? Or was he relegated to the outer court along with others—women, lepers, and foreigners—who were marginalized by those who enjoyed the privilege of power and status? In a time long before the invention of the printing press, how did he get his hands on an Isaiah manuscript? Did money speak as loudly then as it does now?

So many questions. So much to ponder. But Philip didn’t bother with any of the questions I raised. He attended to the promptings of the Spirit and the Ethiopian official. The Spirit instructed Philip to go to the chariot and “join it,” (NRSV) whatever that means. Philip went but he didn’t immediately join the official in the chariot. He approached the chariot, I imagine, carefully, cautiously, and he observed the official reading. He listened for a time before asking, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man responded that he did not, nor could he without someone to guide him. It was only then – after being invited – that Philip actually “joined” the chariot.

Perhaps there is a lesson here for all of us impatient, over-zealous, door knocking, literature sharing, “I-want-to-see-results-right-now” evangelists. Perhaps there is also a lesson for all overly patient, well-intentioned but not always willing, “I-don’t-know-what-to-say-or-what-to-do” evangelists. Philip played the hand he was dealt and responded to the questions he was asked. From this account we get the sense that we earn the right to speak by being patient and being present. In a very real way, we “listen” our way into the story of another in order to share the story of Jesus. There is wisdom, I think, in learning what the questions are before attempting to respond.

Philip modeled this approach. He spoke only after listening, and then approached the story of Jesus from the context of Isaiah. Philip joined the official where he was, both literally and figuratively, much as the Catholic community of St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis, Minnesota understands “wherever you are on the journey” is the starting point for faithful living and faith-filled witness. Dig a pit for the cross wherever you are and there you begin. That’s exactly what Philip did.

And lo and behold, Philip’s witness bore fruit. The Bible tells us that when the travelers came upon water along that wilderness road, the official immediately asked to be baptized. I have to admit that probably wouldn’t have been my first response. I’m afraid that I would have been more inclined to take a nice, long drink or a refreshing bath and wash away the dust accumulated in the course of the journey along an unpaved road. But the official asked to be baptized, which means he must have known something about baptism. Apparently there was nothing to prevent a baptism along that wilderness road for both men went into the water and the Ethiopian official was baptized.

Immediately after the baptism Philip was snatched away. Snatched is a cool word, a vibrant, full-of-action word that tells us that Philip didn’t saunter on down the road, fading away into the sunset. Nor was he merely “taken,” a word that has much more propriety. The Spirit snatched him and no one seemed worse for the wear—neither Philip nor the Ethiopian official. In fact, we are told that the official left rejoicing, which I take to mean that he was full of joy. And Philip? Well, Philip found himself elsewhere—in a different place, with different folks, but the same call: to live the Good News before speaking it.

This is our call, too. But it’s not only our call; it’s our story. We join those whom we meet along the way – those searching and seeking, questing and questioning. We join them, whatever that means, and accompany them “wherever they are on the journey.” And in doing so, just maybe we, too, meet the Christ whom we seek. The Christ who is the Way along the way; the Christ who is our journey’s end and our final rest.

Questions for reflection