Today's Scripture
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Ruth 1 -4; Acts 8:26 -40
Following the Spirit: Acts 8: 26-40
26 An angel from the Lord spoke to Philip, “At noon, take[a] the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27 So he did. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian man was on his way home from Jerusalem, where he had come to worship. He was a eunuch and an official responsible for the entire treasury of Candace. (Candace is the title given to the Ethiopian queen.) 28 He was reading the prophet Isaiah while sitting in his carriage. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Approach this carriage and stay with it.”
30 Running up to the carriage, Philip heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you really understand what you are reading?”
31 The man replied, “Without someone to guide me, how could I?” Then he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. 32 This was the passage of scripture he was reading:
Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent
so he didn’t open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was taken away from him.
Who can tell the story of his descendants
because his life was taken from the earth?[b]
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? Is he talking about himself or someone else?” 35 Starting with that passage, Philip proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36 As they went down the road, they came to some water.
The eunuch said, “Look! Water! What would keep me from being baptized?”[c]38 He ordered that the carriage halt. Both Philip and the eunuch went down to the water, where Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip found himself in Azotus. He traveled through that area, preaching the good news in all the cities until he reached Caesarea.
What does this passage mean to me/us?
In Acts ch. 8, we get to hear more about Philip, whom we are not so familiar in our readings of the Gospel.
However, we know that Philip is one of the first disciples and the one who also shared about Jesus with Nicodemus. So, if it wasn’t for Philip, there might not have been John 3:16.
In his journey, scattered from Jerusalem, Philip was following the lead of the Holy Spirit.
Led by the Spirit, he runs to the Eunuch’s carriage. Led by the Spirit, he shares the Gospel with the eunuch. And led by the Spirit, he baptizes the eunuch and disappears.
Because of Philip’s willingness to be led by the Spirit, we see in both the Samaritan city and in the life of the eunuch, whom both were considered condemned by the Jewish law, there was joy eminent in their lives.
Do we allow the Spirit to lead us, so we can share that Joy?
Prayer
Lord, lead us today, so we can share the joy with this world. In Christ name, we pray, Amen.
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