Time for a Bath of Welcome—Lectionary Reflection for Easter 5B (Acts 8)

The Baptism of the Ethiopian, by Blair Gordy Piras

Acts 8:26-40  New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

²⁶ Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) ²⁷ So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” ³⁰ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹ He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. ³² Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

    and like a lamb silent before its shearer,

        so he does not open his mouth.

³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him.

    Who can describe his generation?

        For his life is taken away from the earth.”

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶ As they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” ³⁸ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

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                In the opening chapter of the Book of Acts, as Jesus and his disciples prepare for his departure (ascension), Jesus commissions his followers to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, but only after they have been empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The first seven chapters of the Book of Acts focus on the emergence of a fledgling community of Jesus followers in Jerusalem. These chapters depict a church that is experiencing growth and the accompanying challenges that growth brings. We read about the attempt to hold everything in common so that no one is in need, but things don’t quite work out as planned. There is a story about a couple who pretend to give all, but hold back some things. That doesn’t end well (Acts 5). Then there are questions about whether everyone is being treated equally, which leads to the creation of a new order of ministry so that the Greek-speaking Jews get their share. The seven spirit-filled men who are chosen for this ministry include at least two people who take on preaching roles. One of the seven, Stephen, ends up being martyred, while another named Philip becomes a missionary, such that the first steps beyond Jerusalem.

                Chapter 8 of the Book of Acts describes the aftermath of Stephen’s death. Supervising Stephen’s execution is a man named Saul, who will take the lead in persecuting the fledgling church. This led to the scattering of the church. Among those who left Jerusalem during this time of trial was Philip, one of the seven. He went to Samaria, where he preached and brought healing to the people in this region. That led to the establishment of the first community of “Jesus People” followers outside Jerusalem. That’s a story in itself, but what we see there is the first border crossing, for Samaritans were distantly related but separate from Jews. But Philip isn’t finished quite yet. After he got things started in Samaria, an angel appeared to Philip and told him to go down to a spot along the road between Jerusalem and Gaza (mention of Gaza at this moment should lead us to stop for a moment and pray for the inhabitants of that stretch of land that is experiencing great trauma).

                Philip followed the angel’s directions and headed toward the aforementioned road. While he made his way to this road, he met up with an Ethiopian Eunuch, who was traveling this road after being in Jerusalem. We’re told by Luke that this Ethiopian man was quite important since he worked for the Candace, queen of Ethiopia (not modern Ethiopia but a region at the southern end of the Nile Valley), overseeing her nation’s treasury. He was returning home after worshipping in Jerusalem. This suggests that he might be Jewish since he went to Jerusalem to worship and was reading Jewish scripture, but that doesn’t fit very well with the direction that Luke’s narrative is taking. There is also the question of the Eunuch’s physical situation as an eunuch, such that following Deuteronomy 23:1 he would be excluded from the people of God, though Isaiah 56:1-8 suggests that a time is coming when eunuchs and foreigners would be included in the people of God. Thus, as Eugene Boring and Fred Craddock note, “Luke sees the Ethiopian as a transitional figure who worships the Jewish God, reads the Jewish Scriptures, but is still an outsider to the people of God” [People’s New Testament Commentary, p. 395].  

                As they meet up, Philip the Evangelist comes alongside the man’s chariot. Hearing him read out loud a passage of scripture from the prophet Isaiah, Philip asks “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian replies by noting that he needs someone to explain this passage, so he invites Philip to join him in the chariot. They read together this passage from Isaiah 53:7-8, a passage that speaks of one who is like a sheep led to slaughter, one who was denied justice, and whose life was taken from him. Having received this invitation, Philip interprets the passage, using it to point to Jesus.

                Luke doesn’t share with us what Philip told the Ethiopian official, but whatever he told him, the man responded favorably. Perhaps Philip said something about the message found in Isaiah 56, which speaks of restoring to the people of God those who are eunuchs.  Something also must have been said about baptism—perhaps Philip shared Peter’s formula from Acts 2:38 when asked what they must do to be saved: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Whatever Philip shared with the man, upon seeing a pool of water alongside the road, he asked Philip what might prevent him from being baptized.  

                 Philip, who had already baptized the Samaritan believers, didn’t hesitate to baptize this new follower of Jesus. He didn’t prescribe three years of catechesis as we see prescribed in the Second Century. Instead, he had the driver pull the chariot off to the side of the road. They got out of the Chariot and Philip baptized the man into the realm of God. Not only that, after the man came out of the water (it is clear he was immersed), Philip was caught up by the Spirit, such that the “eunuch saw him no more.” But Philip’s disappearance didn’t seem to bother the eunuch who “went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). As for Philip he landed in Azotus and went on his way proclaiming the good news all the way to Caesarea. Thus ends the story of Philip’s ministry. However, it is another boundary-crossing event in the life of the newly-born Christian community.  

Philip’s story offers us a look at how the early Jesus Movement expanded beyond its base in Jerusalem. We see in these two stories from Acts 8, how the Spirit moved in the lives of people who were considered outsiders to the People of God. Samaritans were a despised people, and it is interesting that while Philip evangelized and baptized the Samaritans it took a visit from Peter and John for the Spirit to fall on them in a demonstrable way, perhaps so that the two communities might be reconciled in the Spirit. As for the eunuch, we might see him as one who is a sexual minority, such that his body made him an outsider to the people of God. But he too is welcomed into the community through baptism. Might this passage serve as an entry point for those who have been excluded from the church because of their sexual orientation or gender identity? That Luke includes this story along with that of the Samaritan mission suggests that this is meant to be understood inclusively. In this case, baptism serves as the means of initiating into the realm of God one who traditionally has been excluded.   

Perhaps we might hear in this story a word about the work of the Holy Spirit who pushes the boundaries we set for ourselves. Right after we hear about Philip’s ministry, we read in chapter 9 about the call and inclusion of Saul of Tarsus, the one who had been the lead persecutor. He will become a key figure in the expansion of the church into Gentile territory, though first Peter will serve as the instrument of inclusion of Cornelius and his Gentile family (Acts 10-11). History has shown us that the church born from Jesus’ incarnate ministry, has strayed from the inclusive ministry of people like Philip. We have a habit of remaining within our comfort zones, sitting in the same pew, talking to the same people at coffee hour, etc. It’s not that we mean to snub the newcomer, it’s just we would rather stay in our comfort zone. However, that’s not what happened with Philip, who experiences something of “divine compulsion.” As Willie James Jennings points out Philip didn’t initiate the encounter with the eunuch, the Spirit put him in a position to encounter the man. Thus, Jennings writes: “The Spirit is driving a disciple where the disciple would not have ordinarily gone and creating a meeting that without divine desire would not have happened. This holy intentionality sets the stage for a new possibility of interaction and relationship” [Acts: Belief, p. 87]. Jennings reminds us that down through history, the church has combined evangelization with civilizing people, but the two have nothing in common. Thus, we would be wise to read this story as a celebration of diversity within the body of Christ.

                What word does Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch have for the church today, especially as the broader culture is moving back into its silos, where diversity, equity, and inclusion are considered inappropriate for our times. In response to this movement inward, such that we seek to protect our own positions in society, we hear Philip preaching a different message when it comes to Jesus. It is a message not only of inclusion but overcoming marginalization. As Mihee Kim-Kort notes, both the Ethiopian and Philip experience forms of mutual conversion, such that we see here a “glimpse of how certain power structures go sideways, crumble, and fall when we encounter and listen to those who stand at the intersection of marginalized realities.” It is thus, a liberating moment that produces joy for both men. Thus, “they both experienced a transformation, participating in a shift initiated by the Holy Spirit” [Connections, p. 252].

                As we ponder this message we hear an invitation to attend to those transformative moments of encounter, where we also might experience that shift that is initiated by the Holy Spirit. Those elements of identity that can marginalize a person, in this case, ethnicity, and sexual identity, no longer stand in the way of entering the realm of God. The man remains an Ethiopian and a eunuch, but he also becomes a follower of Jesus through baptism. That leads to joy on his part. As for Philip, well, he still has work to do which takes him to Azotus and then from there Caesarea and beyond. The story of expansion and inclusion will continue with the call of Saul of Tarsus and then Cornelius and his household.