Read: Acts 8:26-40
Beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. (v. 35)
The traveler from Ethiopia is a somewhat mysterious figure. Drawn to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, he was in a position of great authority in his own country. When we meet him, he’s reading the prophecy of Isaiah when an angel of the Lord (v. 26) and the Spirit of the Lord (v. 39) conspire to direct Philip to join him. When asked by Philip if he understood what he was reading, the eunuch unashamedly invited Philip to join him and explain it.
The portion of Scripture that the Ethiopian was reading was Isaiah 53, and this remarkable event teaches us at least two things. First, every verse in the Old Testament points to Jesus. Paul says as much: “All the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20). When you are reading the Old Testament don’t be surprised to find yourself looking in the face of Jesus.
And here is the second thing this passage teaches us: we must always be ready to testify to Jesus to anyone at any time. I seriously doubt that Philip had any idea when he woke up that morning what God had in store for him. Peter makes this adamant claim on our lives: “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15-16 NRSV). Are you ready too?
As you pray, ask God to make you ready to speak to whomever he brings your way.
Dr. Timothy Brown is the Henry Bast Professor of Preaching and President Emeritus at Western Theological Seminary where he served from 1995-2021. Tim continues to actively coach and encourage former students and pastors who seek help in their preaching life and he has become a certified public school substitute teacher so that he can continue investing in the lives of young people. He is married to Nancy and together they have three children and ten grandchildren.
