Acts 8:26-40 - The Ethiopian Eunuch

Membership in Christ’s Church

This church, or local ekklesia, is a constituted body of believers. We have selected out elders and received members through the public affirmation of faith in Christ with the desire to live in accordance with this assembly's government and discipline. 

The following people met with the session on January 19th, 2025 and were interviewed. The session then, through unanimous consent, received them into the membership of Covenant Reformed Church. At this time, I would like to ask the following people to stand:

David & Sarah Verburg and their family.

I would like to note, that in order for their entire family to witness the baptism of their younger children, we will proceed with formal baptisms for them at a later date.  

Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, we thank our God for the grace that was given you, in that you have accepted God's promise of salvation and publicly confessed your faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. We rejoice that God, in his gracious providence, has brought you here and given you a desire to unite with us, and that your former church has confirmed your standing within that community. We ask that you testify before us to the faith that you profess by giving assent to the questions which I will ask you in a moment.

“The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence; therefore to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name, or to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred. Yet as, in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God, under the New Testament, as well as under the Old, so a lawful oath, being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters ought to be taken.” (WCF Chapter 22, paragraph 2)  

Reception of members into a visible local body of Christ is such a matter of weight and moment. What we declare by joining to a church is that: 

We are taking God’s name on us. Therefore, we ought to glorify and enjoy Him as his people: He is our God, we are his people.  

We are not our own, we are bought with a price, therefore we must glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20).  

We are called to live lives of self-sacrifice, giving ourselves for each other as Christ gave himself for us. This is how a Christian community is established and built.  

It is established individually when we confess faith in Christ and are baptized. It is built as we are disciplined (discipled) to walk in accordance with Christ’s revealed will. 

It is established in the home when a man leaves father and mother and cleaves unto his wife. It is built as the two then become one flesh – which union produces the fruit of children. 

It is established when households agree to live in communion with one another and it is built through acts of hospitality.  

We are commanded to go and make disciples; to engage the enemies of our Lord with His Gospel as His kingdom of grace advances and he subdues all his and our enemies to himself by means of His body here on earth.  

If these are what you intend to declare publicly today in the name of God, then remain standing and give ascent to these questions with “I do” or “I have”: 

“Do you acknowledge yourself to be a sinner in need of salvation by Christ, and do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving and resting upon Him alone as He is offered in the gospel?” 

“Have you been baptized in accordance with His Word?” 

“Do you swear in the name of God, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, to live in a way that becomes followers of Christ?” 

“Do you swear in the name of God to support the ministry of this church in its worship and work, submitting in the Lord to its government and discipline, while pursuing its purity and peace?” 

I will now ask the congregation to rise and in response to the question say, “We do with God’s help!”

To the congregation: 

As a congregation of Christ, do you receive these into the covenant fellowship of this local church together with you, renewing your membership vows as you do so? 

*We do with God’s help* 

Beloved, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I welcome you to all the privileges of full communion with this congregation of God's people. 

I charge you to continue steadfastly in the confession that you have made, humbly relying upon the grace of God in the diligent use of the means of grace—especially the Word of God, the sacraments, and prayer. 

Rest assured that if you confess Christ before men, he will confess you before his Father who is in heaven. 

May the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, and strengthen you. To him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 

“You may be seated”

Call to worship 

Introduction

Isaiah 56:4–5 LSB

For thus says Yahweh, “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.

I trust that you will be able to see the connection between our Scripture reading and today’s text in Acts, wherein an Ethiopian Eunuch is added to the church. As we progress through this book we are taking a particular interest in Luke’s allusions to the Old Testament as we seek to read this book in it’s canonical context.

We already saw the witness in Jerusalem as God reclaimed His holy mountain.

Then we see the Moses figures come down from that Holy Mountain and lay hands on the people of Samaria. This Samaritan Pentecost reunified the divided kingdom of Israel. Jerusalem and Samaria had come back together. Or in the words of Ezekiel, the two sticks became one again.

The Holy Spirit’s Direction

Immediately after this reunification we are introduced to this narrative regarding an Ethiopian Eunuch. And I’d like to point out that Luke makes it very clear in this narrative that the Spirit of God is the one directing these events. We saw earlier in this chapter that the Holy Spirit seemed to fall upon the Samaritans when the Apostles laid hands on them. Simon saw this and assumed that the Apostles had power over the Deity.

Later on, in Acts 10:44, the Holy Spirit falls “...upon all those who were listening to the word.” He does this while Peter is still speaking, not in connection with the laying on of hands. And this falling of the Holy Spirit became the evidence necessary for the Jews to accept that the New Covenant included Gentiles.

Similarly, in our text today, the Holy Spirit tells Philip to go south and to go and join the Eunuch’s carriage. Then, when his task is complete, and in the same spirit of Elijah, Philip is whisked away to the north to Ashdod before making his way up to Caesarea. Which will be the epicenter for the Gentile Pentecost.

So, we see Jesus’ words in John 3:8 being played out in real time: “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

This highlights for us that the Holy Spirit cannot be controlled by men. We do not possess the ability to regenerate souls. That is not our domain. That is the domain of God’s Spirit alone. He applies in the effectual call, everything necessary for a sinner to receive the righteousness of Christ by faith. And yes, he can supply everything necessary even for an infant, also a sinful human being, to receive the righteousness of Christ by faith.

Everything we do is by faith. If it is not of faith, it is sin. We have faith, therefore, we are baptized. We have faith, and therefore we commune in the Supper, we have faith, therefore, we gather together to renew the covenant with our Triune God. We have faith, therefore, we baptize our children.

But, our baptism purifies our faith, our communion feeds our faith, our gathering encourages our faith, our children multiply our faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. And ultimately, faith is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

The Holy Spirit directs Philip to this man. Why would He do that? Why wouldn’t the Holy Spirit simply regenerate the man? Because the Spirit works by means. The means He chose to use in this case were the book of Isaiah and a preacher of the Word. And when this Ethiopian was baptized, that was evidence the Holy Spirit had already done a work of regeneration in His heart. Faith is a gift, but it comes by hearing the Word of Christ.

Outline:

From North to South (v. 26-29)

A Gospel Dialogue (v. 30-35)

Fruit of Conversion (36-40)

*Pray for illumination and read text*

From North to South (v. 26-29)

Acts 8:26–29 “But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Rise up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he rose up and went; and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.””

The Spirit is directing these events.

As we noted already, “an angel...spoke to Philip...” and then “...the Spirit said to Philip...” Luke is particularly showing us that this is of the Spirit of God. It is not of man.

Presumably, Philip went back to Jerusalem with the Apostles and from there sets out South towards Gaza.

“...an Ethiopian...”

Cushites, or people from Cush, are Ethiopian in Scripture. Ethiopia represents the distant South (Esther 1:1, Ezekiel 29:10)

Genesis 10:6 “The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.”

“...had come to Jerusalem to worship...”

Something often missed in this text , in my opinion: Did this man have faith before the Spirit brought Philip to him? I argue yes, this man had faith in God. He was a God-fearing Gentile man. He would have just experienced temple worship in Jerusalem. He would have been excluded from that temple worship not only because he was Ethiopian, but also because he was a eunuch.

Zephaniah 3:10 “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My scattered ones, Will bring My offerings.”

Deuteronomy 23:1 “No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of Yahweh.”

Leviticus 21:17–20 “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your seed throughout their generations who has a defect shall come near to offer the food of his God. ‘For no one who has a defect shall come near: a blind man or a lame man or he who has a disfigured face or any deformed limb, or a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye or eczema or scabs or crushed testicles.”

But, I believe that he had faith already. He had been regenerated by the Spirit long before this time which is why he was making the journey to Jerusalem for worship. The Spirit, in sanctifying this Ethiopian, brought Philip to teach him about the inauguration of a New Covenant. One that included outcasts.

All of the descriptors of this man are indicating to us that he would have been physically unable to draw near to the presence of God. This is similar to what happened in Acts 3:1-7 when Peter healed the lame man. The norm for both men (lame and eunuch) would have been remaining outside of temple worship.

Why is this? Doesn’t that seem cruel? - It was typological. It was meant to demonstrate that God requires perfection. It is impossible to draw near to the Almighty without perfect purity.

God instituted the Old Covenant system to demonstrate the immaculate standard of holiness required to enter into God’s presence.

Those who were physically excluded from entrance were a picture of the effects of sin in separating us from God. The sacrificial lamb was a picture of the shedding of Christ’s blood, the lamb of God.

The washing and the garments of the priests were a picture of the washing of regeneration and the robing in Christ’s righteousness. All pointing forward to Christ.

So, now, when those visibly affected by sin (the lame, the eunuchs, etc...) are brought near, it is typological. It is demonstrating something: Our sins are forgiven through Christ! Thanks be to God. Entrance for lame and unfruitful sinners has been granted through Christ. The Lamb of God has come to take away the sins of the world.

Even in the Old Covenant community, an outcast could give God glory for the hoped for sacrificial lamb who would visibly make entrance possible for a lame beggar or an emasculated man. The lame beggar or the eunuch could still be saved in the Old Covenant. They were not excluded from salvation because they were excluded from the inner circle of worship. It was typological. Similarly, we give thanks for the already-come sacrificial lamb who made that entrance possible.

Imagine if in our system of the New Covenant, there was a designated group of people who, although baptized members of the covenant, were a visible representation of sin and separation from God.

We’ll say that anyone who is missing a thumb represents sin and separation from God. They can be saved, they are members of the covenant still, but they have been chosen to represent sin and separation. Those people would be looking for the one who could grant them access. They would feel the need for salvation much more strongly.

Who did Jesus say He came for? It was the outcasts. He is alluding to this picture. We all are outcasts. We all are lame, blind, deaf, dumb, and unfruitful. We all are separated from God. Technically, all of us should be in this group of outcasts because it would be much easier for us to see ourselves as we actually are. Instead, the Jews thought that because they were part of the inner circle, they were OK. They were well. They did not need a physician.

WSC #19: “What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? A. All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever.”

We must not look at the types instead of the substance. These visible, physical, ordinances, or sacraments, are not themselves the substance. Christ is the substance. Our sin and separation from God is the substance. God does not require sacrifice, he requires a broken and a contrite spirit. God does not require perfect adherence to a covenant renewal ceremony. He requires true faith in Jesus with true repentance from the heart.

So, this eunuch would have just experienced exclusion from temple worship. And now, returning home to the ends of the earth, Ethiopia, this member of the outcast community, was reading from the scroll in Isaiah.

A Gospel Dialogue (v. 30-35)

Acts 8:30–35 “And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

“As a sheep is led to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will recount His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.”

And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you earnestly, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.”

It is of interest to note that if the Eunuch was reading an Isaiah scroll, then this passage in Isaiah 53 was “..only a few inches...” (Schreiner, 3.1.2) above the passage in Isaiah 56:4-5. Could it have been that this God-fearing foreign eunuch was trying to understand how the suffering servant described in Isaiah 53 could lead to the inclusion of outcasts in Isaiah 56?

The typology of the Old Covenant system was having a salvific effect on this outcast. He was just excluded from temple worship. Why? Because he is defective. He is not perfect. He cannot enter into the holy place. But, he reads in Isaiah, there is coming a time when he can enter. When he will have a lasting memorial even though he cannot have children. And he is wondering how and when this can and will be...

In the midst of this, the Spirit sends Philip to this man. And what is it that Philip proclaims to him: the good news about the substance: Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was the Suffering Servant. And Patrick Schreiner points out something very poignant here: the text says, “Who will recount His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” This is true of someone who is a eunuch. Their life will be removed from the earth. They will have no progeny. Who will recount their generation? Jesus was a type of eunuch. He did not have physical children in this life. And this is the logic of Christ’s kingdom:

The eunuch will be fruitful - behold the innumerable congregation of Christ’s family in heaven. This man, put to death in his 30’s, no living offspring, is the father of a new humanity. Death leads to life. If you would save your life, you must lose it. You must take up your cross and follow Christ. This is Gospel logic. The last will be first. The least will be greatest. The eunuch will be fruitful. The foreigner will become a citizen. The outcasts will be included. Sacrifice leads to abundance. Humility leads to honor. Service leads to rule.

Philip tells the eunuch the good news: the outcasts have been brought near. Listen, Jesus Christ came and was sacrificed so that sinful humanity could be brought near to God in perfection. He rose from the dead proving that He was God. Then, Peter, who had followed Jesus for three years, healed a lame man in the name of Jesus. That lame man was able to leap and jump and bring himself into the presence of God in the temple. “And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”

Fruit of Conversion (v. 36-40)

Acts 8:36–40 “And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.”

And the answer: nothing. Nothing hinders you from coming and drawing near to God. The way has been made open. The temple veil has been rent. You may come to Christ unhindered even if you are missing a thumb.

That word, “prevents” is a particular verb that is used elsewhere in Scripture.

We will see this word soon again in Acts 10 regarding Gentiles. When the Jews see the Spirit fall on Gentiles, the question is asked “Can anyone refuse water for these to be baptized...?”

It is also used in Luke 18:16 “But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” There is nothing hindering anyone, even a child from drawing near to Christ.

There is nothing hindering you from drawing near to Christ. The invitation has gone out, the table is set, what hinders you?

Summary:

Philip goes from Samaria, back to Jerusalem, and then south towards Gaza. He is directed by the Holy Spirit to approach this God-fearing son of Cush and proclaim to him the good news about Jesus Christ. The One who came to grant entrance into God’s presence for all lame, deaf, dumb, and unfruitful sinners.

There is nothing hindering us from drawing near to Christ.

Let’s pray.

The Lord’s Supper

Isaiah 56:4–5 LSB

For thus says Yahweh, “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.

We have been brought near by the blood of Christ and we have been given an everlasting name which will not be cut off. This is of first importance. We have been brought near to the lasting heritage of Christ’s people. Christ’s kingdom. A memorial in God’s house is better than sons and daughters. Earthly power, prestige, and glory are nothing compared to the riches and power of God.

When we come to the table today, let’s remember that we have been granted citizenship in Christ’s kingdom. Let these things shape your thoughts, your desires, your aspirations. Let them shape your expectations. We don’t hope in our perception of kingdom advancement whether that is having children or seeing the lost brought in. We hope in Christ.

We don’t hope in earthly princes or powers. We hope in Christ. The King of all kings.

We don’t hope in our repentance. We don’t hope in our own faith. We hope in Christ.

And Christ says, come to me unhindered.

So, if you are a communing member in Christ’s body, the church, and you are endeavoring to live your life in a manner that is pleasing to God. Then come unhindered, be filled, and have hope in the good intentions of Jesus Christ to you.

Here is bread and wine, what hinders you from coming?

Let’s give thanks to God for these great gifts He has given to His church, to remind us that we may come, take, and eat unhindered.