The Ethiopian Eunuch

²⁶ But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road. ²⁷ And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." ³⁰ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" ³¹ And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth." ³⁴ And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?" ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus. ³⁶ And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" ³⁷ 38 ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 8:26-39


How was it an Ethiopian Eunuch was in Jerusalem to worship? Going back to the days of King Solomon and his interaction with the Queen of Sheba, there was a group of people who converted to Judaism that lived in what we now call the Sudan. In 1 Kings 10:13 we read:

¹³ And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land, with her servants.

Today, the Beta Israel in Ethiopia traces its roots back to this origin. See link. What amazes me was the faith of one who traveled all the way to Jerusalem to worship; but, whom was excluded from participating in the worship in the temple. First, he would have been deemed to be a foreigner and excluded from temple worship. Secondly, under the Mosaic law, he was also excluded by his status as a eunuch. Deuteronomy 23:1 - "He whose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assembly of the LORD." Yet, we find a man who is searching the scriptures diligently looking for God's revelation. The Lord must have heard his prayers and thought of him highly enough to send an angel to Philip to direct him to this man as specific time and place. Does the Word of God act in the same manner today? I believe that the Holy Spirit can certainly act in a believer's life to direct one to an opportunity to witness one's faith. I do not see this as miraculous but a normal part of the leanings of the Spirit. The promise to every believer who wishes to be saved is:

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38

I visited a church where the minister brought up the family with a small infant and sprinkled water on the child's head proclaiming to "baptize" her. While I can certainly identify with the desire of a family to bring one's child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and asking the church, as a community, to help in the process, I find no such example of such baptism in the New Testament. In fact, historically, we know that infant baptism was not introduced well into the third century after the coming of Jesus. In the above story, as in each and every other example in Acts, the believer was immersed in water baptism after a profession of faith in Jesus as Messiah. In fact, it was the coming up out of the water of verse 38 that shows this immersion. The reason for this was explained by the apostle Paul in Romans, Chapter 6: 3-5:

³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a Resurrection like his.

As much as a parent may wish for one's child to be saved, it is the individual believer's faith that is a prerequisite for baptism. For without faith, the sprinkling of water on a baby's head is meaningless and without precedent in scripture. It comes from an errant belief that original sin condemns all of humanity. Yet, in every legal system there is a requirement that before one can punished for a crime that the person must have "capacity" to understand the nature of one's action. Until one reaches the age when one has the capacity to understand the nature of his or her own actions, there cannot be judgment. What is that age? I dare say that it comes differently at various times for most believers. I am content to leave the judging to a holy and just God who is has all the facts and knowledge to make righteous decisions. Seeing the conversion of the eunuch who went on his way "rejoicing" is the result of faith and a new birth.

The breath of Life

⁴ "LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is! ⁵ Behold, thou hast made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in thy sight. Surely every man stands as a mere breath! [Selah] ⁶ Surely man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nought are they in turmoil; man heaps up, and knows not who will gather! ⁷ "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in thee. ⁸ Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Psalms 39:4-8

This passage has become more and more meaningful the older I become. Life is so fleeting. This past month we celebrated the wedding of my daughter and the graduation and move of my son. And though they have been out of the house for years, there is something about the empty nest that resonates when I think about how quickly the child rearing years flew by. A person's time on this earth is like a shadow. So how does one leave a legacy? It is not by the "heaping up" of stuff. Job said it best in the first chapter at verse 21:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Jesus told his disciples that a man's life did not consist of the abundance of one's possessions. The writer of the above passage got it right. "My hope is in thee". There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Only by faith in the redeeming act of the Son do we have the ability to have hope of the eternal. The only legacy we leave behind are the actions of what we do for others. I hope that these words might inspire someone in the future long after I am gone. The message of the world to "eat, drink and be happy" is a lie. Only when we discover the true meaning of sacrificial love do we get to take something with us into eternity. Learning to give of oneself is the secret to discovering blessings from above.

The Biblical Qualifications of a Jurist

"You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

Leviticus 19:15

There is a reason that the famous statue of the Greek goddess Themis is wearing a blindfold. Justice requires that judgment not be biased by a judge being in favor of the poor or the rich. We often confuse justice with charity. The biblical view of justice is set forth in the Torah as spelled out in the verse above. Partiality is not to be taken into account when deciding what is just. President Obama's nomination of Judge Sotomayor because she has compassion for the poor and downtrodden fly in the face of the biblical standard for a justice. Charity and compassion are the realm of the individual's responsibility. This stands in stark contract to the demands of the law. When one chooses a judge because of their ethnicity or background to favor certain groups over others, you have a jurist who is prohibited by the commandment of Leviticus.

Justice is supposed to be blind. When we lose that principle, society suffers from the polarizing prejudices of a judiciary where judges push their own political agenda at the expense of the rule of law.

The True Vine

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

John 15: 1-8


In these times many are wringing their hands asking what we can do to "re-energize" the church? What programs can we develop to encourage evangelism? How do we motivate people to get involved with the work of the church?

I believe that the heart of the problem is not to come up with a new approach to evangelism; but, that we need to focus on "making disciples". If we want renewal, we need to refocus our priorities for Christ in our discipleship. If we truly lead people into a relationship with a living God who becomes the Lord of one's life by being born again, it is the work of God through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) that empowers people's lives. Instead, if we focus on "activities", i.e. does he attend regularly, does she tithe, do they participate in our services, we can miss the point of asking is Jesus Lord of one's life? There is a lot of religious activity that inoculates people from understanding the truly personal relationship of being "in Christ". When a disciple wishes to turn away from the dictates of the world and wishes to see understanding of faith, we will not have to worry about brow beating people to pray, study the Bible or serve the needs of those less fortunate. Those things will take care of themselves through spiritual DNA that God injects into the heart of a believer. That is how we become a new creature. If one's heart is not changed, then there is no fruit. If one wants to know how they are doing, look at the fruit in one's life. The reaching of the lost is a spontaneous reaction to the understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the focus becomes anything else other than "Lordship", there is a loss of direction. It is God in us through his power that makes the difference.

The House of the Lord

1 Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent." 3 And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart; for the LORD is with you." 4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5 "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"' 8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; 15 but I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'" 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

2 Samuel 7:1-17

In the above passage David, King of Israel, comes to a realization of how much God has blessed him. The king is living in a palace. Yet, the Ark of the Covenant, God's symbol of his residence upon earth, rests in a tent. So, David proposes to build God a house. David's response to God's blessing is admirable. But, the concept of the God of the universe dwelling in a house made by human hands is somewhat taken to task through the prophet, Nathan. In verses 5-7, Nathan, reveals that God has not chosen not to dwell in a house; nor, has he commanded David to build a house for him. Instead, he points out that he took David, a shepherd (who lives out of doors) and made him a prince over "my people Israel". Instead, it is the Lord God who will make a house out of David (v.11) and give him a future and descendants. One of these descendants will build a "house for my name". (v13) That house and the kingdom of David shall "be made sure for ever before me; your throne will be established forever".

We know that the throne of David did end when King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians destroyed the temple in 587 B.C. The Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah recount the story of the reconstruction of the second temple that began under Cyrus the Great and completed about 515 B.C. That temple was reconstructed under King Herod the Great in 20 B.C. and ultimately that temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The "wailing wall" in Jerusalem today is the only remnant of that construction left standing.

So how does God's promise through the prophet stand today? Jesus, who was born of the House of David, proclaimed that through the kingdom of God, the Messiah would come and save us. Isaiah 33:22 states:

"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our ruler, the LORD is our king; he will save us."

It is the reign of God that is part of the Messianic promise that delivers salvation. Isaiah 11: 1-10 talks about a "shoot" and a "branch" that will grow from the stump of Jesse. He will be anointed with the spirit and show that with wisdom, understanding, power and knowledge that his kingdom will mean the triumph of righteousness. In that day the one from Jesse will stand as "a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him".

Years later the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2 would proclaim:

Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and precious; 5 and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame." 7 To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner," 8 and "A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall"; for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.

Confessions of an Elder

Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17

The concept of "church membership" has changed drastically in my lifetime. Some of that is for the good. For many in our tradition the concept of being on the church's formal list of membership was thought of as being a prerequisite to getting into heaven. Personally, I don't buy that. Jesus told the righteous of his era that there would be many going into the kingdom ahead of them. But, the concept of consumerism in the church world has destroyed the concept of community. Today, people shop for a church like they would for a nice social club. When I find a church that meets my needs, then I will consider membership; but, in the meantime feel free to never make a commitment to the local congregation. This kind of thinking is toxic to one's spiritual development.

While one will not find the term "membership" in the New Testament, you will find passages like that in Hebrews 13:17 that call for leaders to "shepherd" a congregation. When one places membership, he or she is giving permission to the leadership for spiritual advice. A church is a voluntary commitment of believers to live in community. How we live makes a difference. The conduct of members is vital to the spiritual health of a church.

In 1 Timothy 5 Paul goes into a rather detailed set of instructions regarding the care of widows and who should or should not be “enrolled” into the church’s support. This may not relate to modern church membership but it at least makes reference to developing a list of people falling under the care of elders. Further, in discussing church discipline, Paul gives instruction in 1 Corinthians 5 to take the immoral man and put him out. You cannot really put someone out if they have not in some meaningful way been “put in.”

Membership in a church facilitates the practice of spiritual discipline. It does not guarantee it. We preach the "kingdom of God". But, when one is born into the kingdom he or she is in need of a family where one can be nurtured and taught. That necessarily implies a commitment to the local congregation. We are imperfect people trying to be like Jesus. When we allow people to be carried as members whom do not attend, participate in ministry, pray, or ever become involved with teaching, we do them a disservice. There will always be room for those whom are honestly searching for the truth to come and participate. That is part of our evangelism. But our goal is for every person to "put on Christ" through baptism and to become part of the church visible. Only Jesus has the final authority to decide who is "in" or "out" on the day of judgment. But, being part of the body of Christ implies an active participant who is in fellowship with the saints of a local congregation.

Luke 24 On the road to Emmaus

¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cle'opas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" ¹⁹ And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning ²³ and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." ²⁵ And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. ²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, ²⁹ but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. ³² They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, ³⁴ who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I love this post-resurrection story about Jesus. Cleopas and another unknown person were on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus discussing the events of their day. The two were distraught. They obviously had put their hope in Jesus as a prophet who was mighty in deed and word. But, they were aware of his trial, death and crucifixion. And now, there were rumors that his body was missing from the tomb and that a vision of angels had declared his resurrection. But, they had not seen him with their own eyes.

As Jesus walked with them he gave them a lesson that they would never forget. In verses 25-27 (bolded above) he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus apparently began with the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament). I would suspect that he would have begun with Adam and Eve, undoubtedly tracing the Seed of woman in Genesis 3:15. He might have continued through the raised-up Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15, the virgin birth of Isaiah 7:14, the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, and the reign of Jesse's offspring in Isaiah 11. I wonder if he might have used Psalm 16:9-10:

My heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

I wonder if he made reference to the the prophets Jeremiah and Daniel, describing the righteous Branch that would come from King David (Jer. 23:5-6) that would be "cut off, but not for Himself" before the destruction of the second Temple in A.D. 70 (Daniel 9:26). Or, perhaps before he vanished from their sight, I wonder if he quoted from Zechariah 12:10, explaining that one day "the inhabitants of Jerusalem" will be given "the Spirit of grace and supplication," when "they will look on Me whom they pierced." I find it fascinating that it is when Jesus breaks the bread that he is made known to them. And, at that same instant, he vanishes. The result was that their hearts were burning while he opened the scriptures to them. I believe that the same results happen to us today. When we truly study the scriptures seeking to understand the revelation of God, there is a phenomena whereby when we worship and break bread together that we have the confirmation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that testifies to the truth of the gospel. The psalmist wrote, "Blessed are those who put their trust in Him" (Psalms 2:12). No doubt, these two men on the road of Emmaus did exactly that. And, we are invited to join them on the road of our journey through life in the here and now.