Cole Community Church Growth Groups Leader s Guide for Acts 8:26-40 Week of January 13-20, 2019 Philip and the Ethiopian Introduction: The account of Philip s encounter with the eunuch from Ethiopia is a fascinating but yet strange passage. It makes us wonder why Luke included the story in his letter to Theophilus. It seems out of context with the other accounts wherein many souls we involved, yet this passage deals with the two individuals only. However, the passage gives us some valuable insight into Philip s devotion to spreading the Gospel to anyone who hungers to know the truth. In addition, regarding the Ethiopian, we may be seeing the eventual fulfillment of prophecies foretold by Isaiah. Read Acts 8:26-40 1. What do we know about Philip? Philip is only mentioned a few times in Acts. In chapter 6, he was one of the seven men or deacons chosen by the people to oversee the distribution of food to widows. We do not know how long he was in involved those duties but we know that he became a traveling evangelist. The first part a chapter 8 tells us of him spreading the Gospel to Samaria. In chapter 21, we learn that Philip lived in Caesarea and that he had four adult daughters who were unmarried and that prophesied. Paul and his entourage stayed at Philip s house for a number of days. Paul specifically refers to Philip as being an evangelist and one of the seven. After his encounter with the Ethiopian, Philip was in Azotus and preached in all the towns along the way to his home in Caesarea. (For clarification, this is not the Apostle Philip that was one of the twelve.) 2. What do we know about the Ethiopian eunuch? We learn that the Ethiopian was a very important government official in charge of the treasury of Queen Candace and as having great authority. He is referred to as being a eunuch but that may not describe his physical condition of having been castrated. Traditionally, in ancient times, eunuchs were tasked with guarding and caring for harems of kings, other royalty, officials, etc. As such, they were neutered to prevent having relations with the women encountered in their daily tasks. By the time of Luke s writing, the term eunuch referred more to a title than a physical condition. In this case, it could be a title of position and authority rather than physical condition.
3. Vs. 26-29. How does Philip respond to the Angel s instructions? Philip is obedient to what the angel has told him to do; knowing that the message came from God and yet we have no indication that he knew why he was to go there. Assuming that Philip was at his home in Caesarea, the distance that Philip would have had to travel, just to intersect the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza, would be over 70 miles. Somewhere, after he came to the intersection of the road to Gaza, he met the Ethiopian in his chariot, stopped along the road, and reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. The Holy Spirt told Philip to go up to the chariot and stay with it. Philip literally ran up to the chariot, possibly realizing why God had sent him on this journey. 4. Vs. 30-34. Why is the Ethiopian traveling to and from Jerusalem? (Deuteronomy 23:1, Isaiah 56:4-5) The Ethiopian had gone to Jerusalem to worship. But, in Deut. 23:1, we are told that eunuchs were not allowed in the congregation, yet he was worshiping; an indication that he may have not been a eunuch physically. Or, it could possibly be a fulfillment of Isaiah 56:4-5. Many Ethiopians, although not Jews, had adopted Judaism as their faith and belief in God and such could explain why the Ethiopian had gone to Jerusalem. As an aside, although Luke makes no mention of it, the Ethiopian would not have been traveling alone. Being a high government official, he would have been accompanied by a contingent of guards or soldiers in chariots along with supplies for the journey. The fact that he is reading out loud, probably to his chariot driver, from the book of Isaiah is fascinating. Possessing a copy of the scroll of Isaiah would be of great value; something that few people could acquire. Furthermore, it affirms that he was a literate and educated man possessing incredible knowledge of the book of Isaiah. He is reading the passages from Isaiah 52 & 53 but does not understand what it means. Philip asks him if he understands what he is reading but the man replies with a rhetorical question, How can I unless someone explains it to me? He invites Philip to sit with him in the chariot and asks, Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?
5. Vs. 35-40. How does Philip explain the story of Jesus to the Ethiopian? Philip did not start by just explaining God s plan of salvation. Instead, he carefully walked through the passages from Isaiah explaining in detail of how Isaiah was prophesying about Jesus, not himself; how Jesus was the Messiah and how he willingly went to the cross to die for the Ethiopian s sins and the sins of all mankind as our Kinsman Redeemer. As they traveled along, Philip obviously shared all that he knew about Jesus and the plan of salvation including baptism because when they came to some water the man said, Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? He gave orders to stop the chariot; an indication of his complete authority over the caravan. They went down to the water, Philip baptized him, and he went on his way rejoicing. After baptizing the man, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. It does not necessarily mean that Philip vanished from sight instantly. It could have happened that way or it could be that Philip knew, from the Spirit, that his mission was accomplished, and he was ordered to leave. 6. What can happen when we are obedient to the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Jesus to others? God tells us that His Word will not return to him void. In this case, Philip saw the immediate results of sharing Jesus to a hungry soul. However, there were also results that Philip could not have seen. Ethiopia is a Christian nation and has been officially since around 300AD when the king of Ethiopia declared Christianity as the official religion. The Ethiopian eunuch is credited by many as the one who brought the Good News of Jesus to the nation. Today, about 60 percent of the Ethiopian population embrace Christianity as their faith. When Sharing the Gospel with others, we may see instant results of someone coming to Christ. Or, we might experience rejection at the time. But, having planted the seed of Salvation, it may take root and bear fruit in such a manner that we could not have expected. Today, there are souls in Heaven because Philip obeyed God in stepping out in faith to encounter the man from Ethiopia. kd
Addendum to the Study Guide Another Possibility of why the Ethiopian Traveled to Jerusalem The following is not necessarily intended to be a part of the Study Guide. Rather it is a very interesting possibility of another reason the Ethiopian went to Jerusalem, having been sent there by Queen Candace. It is conjecture and cannot be proven as fact, but at the same time, it cannot be discounted due to a passage in Isaiah that refers to Ethiopia and the Gifts from Ethiopia. The land of Ethiopia has played a significant part in Biblical history. The Egyptian Pharaoh Necho was an Ethiopian. The Queen of Sheba was also an Ethiopian since Saudi Arabia at that time was part of Ethiopia. Solomon and the Queen of Sheba had a son named Menelik who grew up in in Jerusalem until age 19. For over 2400 years the Ethiopians have claimed to be in possession of the Ark of the Covenant. The official legend, adopted by the Ethiopians, is that Menelik, when he returned to Ethiopia brought the Ark with him. However, that legend is not compatible with the Biblical record since the Ark is referred to at a later time in 2 Chronicles 35:3. It may have been taken there by the Levites under Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 21). It is believed that the Ark may have been taken to Elephantine Island, Egypt in 642 B.C., Transferred to Tana Kirkos Island, Ethiopia in 470 B.C, where special access was required, and finally to Axum, Ethiopia in 330 A.D. where it resides today in a specially built fortress guarded around the clock. According to the Ethiopians, the Ark is destined to be presented to the Messiah on Mt. Zion when He returns. It is not so much the Ark that is to be presented but rather the Mercy Seat that rests atop the Ark. The Bible contains many references to The Ark of the Covenant and its origin. We know that the Ark was made of wood gilded with gold. The stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments were placed inside the Ark. Atop the Ark was the Mercy Seat that was made of pure gold. Blood from the animal sacrifices was sprinkled on the east side of the Mercy Seat and seven times in front of it for the atonement of sin. We generally think of the gold Mercy Seat as the lid for the Ark. However, that is backwards. In reality, the Ark is the pedestal on which the Mercy Seat resides. It is very symbolic that the Mercy Seat covers the Law of Moses and is above it. The Law could not save us. It only shows us our need for a Savior; a Kinsman Redeemer. The blood of Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice poured out on the Mercy Seat. Queen Candace and other Ethiopians had presumably heard of Jesus teaching and miracles over the three-year course of his ministry. Ethiopians, having accepted Judaism, likely traveled to Jerusalem and may have witnessed Jesus triumphal entry into the city.
In the belief that Jesus was there to establish His kingdom at that time, Queen Candace may have sent her Treasurer to verify that it was time to return the Ark and Mercy Seat to Mt. Zion. The Ethiopian may have traveled to Jerusalem to worship and in anticipation that the Messiah had arrived according to the prophecies only to discover that instead of establishing His kingdom He has been crucified. The Ethiopian is confused and starts his journey back home but stops along the way to research the passage from Isaiah, trying to understand what it means and how they could have missed what the prophecy really meant. That s when Philip arrives and explains everything to him; the actual Good News of Jesus. After Philip s explanation and subsequent of him being baptized by Philip he goes home rejoicing. We can only assume he shared the Good News with Queen Candace and reported that the time to return the gifts lies in the future. The most significant passage regarding the gifts from Ethiopia is found in Isaiah, Chapter 18. Chapter 18 is a reference to Ethiopia in Biblical times. The description of the land and of the people certainly fit the land of Ethiopia. Verse seven declares that gifts will be brought to Mt. Zion; to the Lord God Almighty. There is no way to validate this possibility because no one really knows if the Ethiopians have the Ark. Therefore, it can only be considered another potential mystery of the Bible. The question could be posed that if the Ethiopian asked Philip about the return of the Ark, then why didn t Luke include such in the book of Acts. The answer is simple. The Ark and Mercy Seat are no longer significant to our salvation. Jesus death and resurrection provided the blood sacrifice that covered all sin, for all people, forever. To have mentioned the Ark s association with the Ethiopian in scripture could lead to people to idolize the Ark instead of focusing on Jesus. The Ark of the Covenant, if it still exists, would be the most valuable treasure that has ever existed. The very fact that the Ethiopians, assuming they have it, do not allow anyone access to it, do not put it on display, nor place it in a museum demonstrates that they understand that the Ark is only to be revealed when Jesus returns; when it will be a gift to Him in a perfect world free from all idolatry. There has been a lot of research on this possibility. Much of the research has conducted by the Koinonia Institute and others. Much more detailed information can be found on the internet. Just bear in mind that it is only conjecture and should never be treated as fact. It is fun to explore and if it turns out to be true, we will all know it in the end. And, it could be that the Nazis, archeologists, and Indiana Jones were all looking in the wrong place. More detailed information can be found from the articles below: http://www.khouse.org/articles/2001/377/ and http://www.khouse.org/articles/2001/383/