Acts 8:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

NIV: And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

NASB: And he ordered that the chariot stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.

CSB: So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

NLT: He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

KJV: And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

NKJV: So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

An angel has directed Philip, a Christ-follower and one of the first deacons of the church (Acts 6:1–6), to travel south to the road that connects Jerusalem to the city of Gaza on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Philip finds an Ethiopian court official reading the book of Isaiah while traveling in a chariot. The official had been to Jerusalem to worship the Jewish God and is now returning home. Philip explains how the passage he's reading is about Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified so that we might be forgiven and reconciled to God. The Ethiopian believes and insists that Philip baptize him immediately (Acts 8:26–36).

It's interesting to compare the Ethiopian to the Jewish leaders. They had studied the Jewish prophets their whole lives. They knew all about the Messiah—or thought they did—but never connected Him to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. Like nearly everyone Jesus came into contact with, they believed the Messiah would come to politically rescue Israel and sit on the throne as their king. Even the disciples, right before the ascension, believed Jesus' reign was imminent (Acts 1:6).

This man, however, isn't a Jew. He doesn't have the political baggage that the Jewish leaders have. He is a eunuch, but he is in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia and has all the power and prestige he could want (Acts 8:27). Because of his lack of expectation, he is able to accept the great gift Jesus offers him. He enthusiastically formally identifies with the message that a Jewish teacher is the Son of God and offers salvation.

Acts 8:26–40 completes the story of Philip's early ministry. Driven out of Jerusalem by persecution, he first travels north into Samaria and spreads the gospel to a people Jews had believed accursed (Acts 8:5–13). Now, an angel tells him to go south where he meets an official of the Ethiopian court who is reading from the book of Isaiah. Philip's ministry shows that God doesn't care if someone is born into His chosen people, or are ethnically and theologically confused, or are even a foreign eunuch. He loves equally and desires that everyone will repent and come to Him.

Jesus told the apostles they would spread the gospel (Acts 1:8) and persecution makes that happen. Upon the death of the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54–60), a young Pharisee named Saul builds on the momentum to arrest and, if possible, execute Jesus followers (Acts 8:1–3; 26:10). The apostles mostly stay in Jerusalem, but the church members flee, spreading the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Important encounters in this passage include a magician named Simon and the conversion of an Ethiopian court official.

Acts 1:8 gives the outline of the book of Acts; Acts 1—7 describes the spread of the gospel through Jerusalem; Acts 8:1—11:18 shows the gospel spreading in Judea and Samaria; Acts 11:19—28:31 sees the gospel spread to the ''end of the earth,'' finalizing in Rome. Ironically, although Paul is the central figure in spreading Jesus' good news to the ends of the earth, his early persecution of the church in Jerusalem is instrumental in spreading the gospel through Judea and Samaria.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.