Journeying with Jesus
Acts 26-40

There are many metaphors used to describe human existence. The metaphor depends upon the circumstances being described. If a person is going through a difficult time, life might be described as a struggle, a fight, or even a battle. Conversely, if all is well, we might say, “Life is a beach!” Or to borrow from the 1960s, we might say, “Life is a gas!” (I bet you have not heard that metaphor in many a year.) The rock and roll group the Rolling Stones used this metaphor in their 1968 hit song “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” The lyrics in part are, “I was born in a cross-fire hurricane, and I howled at my Ma in the driving rain. But it’s all right now, in fact it’s a gas. But it’s all right now. I’m jumpin’ Jack flash. It’s a gas! Gas! Gas!” For something to be a “gas” means it is “a great thing” or “a lot of fun” or “super.”

An all-encompassing metaphor for life is the journey. Life is a journey. Life has a beginning, a destination, and an end. Along the way life may be a struggle or a beach; it may be a battle or a gas. The journey has highs and lows.

This morning’s reading from Acts 8 describes a brief vignette in the journeys of two men: Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. We first meet Philip in the Book of Acts in Chapter 6. Philip, along with six others, including Stephen who was the first Christian martyr, was set aside by the apostles to oversee the work of meeting the needs of the poor in the Jerusalem church. They were in essence the first deacons. Acts describes them as men of good standing, filled with the Holy Spirit and possessing wisdom.

Following Stephen’s martyrdom, the church scattered in an attempt to avoid being imprisoned and persecuted. The escape from persecution had additional and wonderful results. As they scattered, they went from place to place preaching the word, performing miracles, and winning people to Jesus Christ (Acts 8:1).

Philip had remarkable success in the city of Samaria (Acts 8:6-8). If you recall our sermons from Luke’s gospel, you will remember that the Samaritans took a very dim view of all things Jewish. They refused to welcome Jesus and his followers into their villages, but now the gospel of Jesus Christ was spreading from Jerusalem to Samaria and ultimately to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The field was ripe for harvest, and the workers were plentiful.

Then Philip’s journey took a totally unexpected turn. An angel of the Lord directed Philip to leave his fruitful work in Samaria and to take the wilderness road from Jerusalem to Gaza. This was a desolate and sparsely inhabited place. Why would the Lord send Philip to such a barren area? The answer was that there was a man traveling the road that had been chosen by God to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The man was an Ethiopian. In biblical times Ethiopia was a vast empire. It was much larger than the modern nation of Ethiopia. In those days, the Ethiopians were ruled by a queen mother who was called the Candace. If you remember your Old Testament, you will recall the Queen of Sheba who visited King Solomon. She was from this region.

The Ethiopian man was of very high status. He oversaw the Candace’s entire treasury. He was the equivalent of our nation’s Secretary of the Treasury. Unlike Philip, who was on foot, the man rode in a chariot.

His position and privilege afforded him the luxury of taking a vacation from his administrative duties and making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel. His affluence also allowed him to own a copy of the prophet Isaiah.

We know that there was an ancient Jewish community in Ethiopia. Perhaps it dated back to the days of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. It persisted until modern times. In the 1990s, most Ethiopian Jews emigrated to Israel, and the migration continues to this day. It is unclear whether the man on the Gaza road was of Jewish ancestry or of Ethiopian descent. He was either a Jew on pilgrimage or a man who was a God-fearer, one who worshiped the God of Israel and sought to obey God’s law but was not part of the covenant community, having not submitted to circumcision.

The text also describes the man as a eunuch. Normally this word describes a man who has been castrated. The practice of castration of court officials in the ancient world was widespread. The mutilation ensured that the individual could never usurp the throne. Castrated men were forbidden from becoming king in most ancient societies. Furthermore, the barbaric practice also protected the royal bloodline. However, the term “eunuch” was sometimes employed as an honorary title. It is impossible to know with certainty how the term applied to the man in our story. It seems more likely that “eunuch” had the latter meaning, i.e., an honorary title.

When we meet the man, he was returning to Ethiopia to resume his royal duties. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch’s journeys intersected on the wilderness road. God’s providence was guiding their journeys.

The eunuch had a divine appointment to encounter the risen Christ through the proclamation of Philip. Philip, for his part, was under the clear and direct influence of God’s guidance. An angel commanded him to travel the Gaza road. The Holy Spirit directed Philip to go over to the eunuch’s chariot and join himself to it.

The eunuch was reading the prophet Isaiah. In the ancient world people read out loud. As Philip approached the chariot, he would have heard the Ethiopian reading the scriptures. Philip asked the man, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?" The passage the man was reading is from Isaiah 53, the preeminent Old Testament passage that foretold the vicarious suffering of the Messiah for human sin. “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth” (Isa. 53:32b-33).

The eunuch was unclear about who was being described by Isaiah. “About whom does the prophet say this, about himself or someone else?” (vs. 34).
This was all the opportunity Philip needed. Starting with the text the man was reading from Isaiah, Philip proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus Christ (vs. 35).

I wish Luke had recorded more of the details of Philip’s proclamation. It must have included the need to repent, trust in Jesus Christ, and be baptized. When the eunuch spotted some water, he declared, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” (vs. 36). The answer to his question was that nothing prevented him. Philip and the Ethiopian both entered the water and Philip baptized him.

As suddenly as their journey together began, it ended. Philip was physically translated by the Holy Spirit to the city of Azotus on the Mediterranean Sea. The eunuch went on his way to Ethiopia rejoicing. And so, their separate journeys continued.

The eunuch took the gospel with him back to Ethiopia. The Coptic Church in Ethiopia can be traced back to the third century A.D. It must have originated with the eunuch. Ethiopia is to this day a majority Christian nation.

Philip’s journey continued too until he eventually settled in Caesarea. In Acts 21, Paul and Luke stayed with Philip, who had married and produced four daughters who were all prophetesses (Acts 21:8-9).

And so, what we know about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch’s journeys comes to an end.

This brief encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian official on the wilderness road to Gaza is filled with meaning for us as we walk the path of life set before us.

Divine providence is guiding our journeys. We may be cognizant of God’s direction like Philip. He was directed by an angel and spoken to by the Holy Spirit. It is more likely that we are like the Ethiopian eunuch, who was seeking to live faithfully according to what he understood about God and his duty to the Almighty. Unbeknownst to him as he rode in his chariot, divine providence was directing his every move and providing what he truly needed. The same is true for us. We can be certain of God’s direction and provision on our earthly journey.

A second important aspect of this story is the centrality of scripture and the sacraments in the Christian life. There is no substitute for the holy scriptures. They are God’s word written for us. Through the scriptures we discover what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Through the words of scripture, we hear the good news about Jesus. Our sins are forgiven; our mortality has been overcome; evil will one day be vanquished when Christ comes again. The Bible is our indispensable companion on the journey.

The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper also have a central place. Baptism marks the beginning of our journey with Jesus. Communion strengthens us for the journey, and so, we partake of it repeatedly in remembrance of the crucified and risen Christ. Communion also points us toward our final destination and end. We are destined to eat and drink together in the kingdom of God at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

An additional dimension of the text is the vital importance of the church. With the eunuch we continually say, “How can I understand, unless someone guides me?” We desperately need each other as we make our way in the world. The Christian journey is not a solitary venture. It is by nature corporate and communal.

Finally, the primacy of the Holy Spirit is most evident in our text. The Holy Spirit empowered Philip’s ministry. The Holy Spirit brings the words of scripture to life; the Holy Spirit works through the sacraments; the Holy Spirit is the one who gathers the church and fills us so we can be on our way rejoicing.

How would you describe your journey today? Is it a struggle, a fight, or a battle? Is it a beach or a gas? Or perhaps your journey is a mixture of joy and sorrow. However you characterize your journey, never forget there is a larger story unfolding at the same time. It is God’s story, and your journey can be part of God’s ongoing journey towards the consummation of all things. God supplies what we need for the journey: kind providence, the scriptures, the sacraments, the church, and the Holy Spirit. God will surely bring us safely to our final destination in the city of God.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our risen Lord for strength for the journey. Alleluia! Amen.