Kingsview Community Church

This is a beautiful salvation story of Eunuch who confesses his faith in Christ, finds water and is baptized. A conversion story plopped in our Acts accounts of the early church. It is significant when you look at the story of the Eunuch and the life of the apostles.

Philip is called to go meet the Ethiopian on the road. He’s not going to the temple, but on his way back from the temple. If you look at an ancient map, you’re looking at a month-long journey by chariot. A Eunuch was viewed at that time as a servant. Candace is not the name of the Queen, but in other translations we see that Candace is the title. It is synonymous for Queen. He’s her personal assistant, doing all her bidding. There must be great trust. You don’t just let your servant go away unhindered for a month. It’s a unique relationship.

We also see that the Eunuch is reading the scroll of Isaiah. This is significant because the only people who had access to a scroll were priests or really, really, really wealthy people. There was no iPhone to read the Bible on and no printing press to create them with. Not only was the paper expensive, but someone had to be hired to write the scroll. It suggests he was a man of great resources who could tap into the Queen’s wealth. He had access to her wealth and she had no problem with that. There was that trust established between the two of them.

It is interesting that this encounter did not take place on his way to get where he’s trying to get. We get the impression that he did not find whatever he was looking for at the temple. This is exemplified by him reading the scroll looking confused. The question is, ‘if he was going to the temple to worship, why did he not find what he was looking for?’ why is he coming back confused? This was a serious journey for him. Why?

His status. As an Ethiopian Eunuch (just a Eunuch), he was precluded from going to the temple in any way, shape or form. What is a Eunuch? Males that had been castrated and brought into slavery to high officials, kings or queens. Often boys would be taken from poor families (with the families being killed off) and castrated before puberty and put into these roles. They were roles for life. Some Eunuchs became that way by choice, just so they could live.

Their bodies are incapable of producing testosterone. As that boy grows into 18, 25, 30 years old, they maintain the features of a young boy. High pitched voice; no facial hair; don’t age the same way other males do. They were often small in stature, frail looking and had fair skin. They stood out like a sore thumb wherever they went. There was no hiding. No escaping the fact they were Eunuchs. Typically, Eunuchs were used as slaves or servants to high government officials, such as kings and queens.

If they were just looking for slaves and servants, why was it necessary to remove their manhood? If your male slave could not reproduce, there was no fear of anyone saying a child was not from the royal bloodline. You could do whatever you wanted with that slave without fear of what would happen to your bloodline. Pretty deviant. Likely, Eunuchs in the day were used and abused.

Without testosterone, they most likely had less drive to succeed in life. You also create a very subdued form of servant who will do whatever you want them to do. No fight. You’re basically creating a robot servant and there were no repercussions to your actions. And with their families being slaughtered, they were more beholden to their masters.

This Eunuch, not only had to deal with all of this, but as a result of what he has been through is viewed as ceremonially unclean. As an unclean person, he could not become clean again. His dream, his desire to worship the one true God somehow filled his mind and he goes to the holy land. The notion is that at the temple, he is rejected because of his uncleanness. He could not even go in to worship. He must have known this going in, but he made the trek anyway. He desperately wanted to feel the love of the Lord. He went through the journey regardless.

Between services, someone told me that this desire to worship God despite rejection reminded them of what it was like growing up. There is a church on the island of Barbados called St. Michael's Cathedral. Back in the early days it was a church for the elite of the Barbadian society and as such, the black people who resided in the city and its environs were not allowed to enter the church during the services with the white worshippers. The black people who still wanted to be a part of the services would stand outside in an alley just opposite the cathedral, where they could hear the sermons. The alley became known as “Amen Alley” because when it was time to utter the customary "Amen", everyone gathered there would all join in too.
The only place he knows to find God is the temple – where he’s rejected. So, discouraged, he heads back home, reading Isaiah and confused. Not understanding what he is reading. What was his route? The middle of the desert. Deserts are historically the driest, most barren of lands and this is where he found life. He finds God in the middle of the desert. His thirst was not quenched in the temple, but in the desert.

Many of us go through desert experiences where we feel spiritually dry, confused and not understanding what is happening. We’re searching. We feel rejected. We feel out of sorts, perplexed. And we’re stuck in these desert seasons of life. And God often finds us in those times. “Streams in the desert” is a devotional book. It reminds me when I read it that there can be life where there is no life. Growth where there is no growth.

Sometimes we need to recognize that we have nothing – so that God can be our everything. Perhaps our desert experiences are necessary to bring us to the end of ourselves so that God can truly be our strength. For many of us, we go through desert experiences quite often. Sometimes we find our selves stuck and don’t know how to get out. “For when I am weak, THEN I am strong.”

Not when I am weak, there is some strength. This is a message of hope. When you have nothing, when you’re in the middle of your despair . . . there’s life. You may not even know; God will use someone like a Philip. Often times, God uses people. People that honour Him, people that trust Him. Never be afraid of that. Never run away from that. There is power in God being able to use you to minister to someone else.

Using a Eunuch on the way back to Ethiopia is an interesting 2nd group for Philip to minister to. Remember Peter’s first group? The Hellenistic widows. They did not have the pure bloodline of the Jewish people. They were viewed as ‘less than’. When the two groups came together accepting Christ, their widows are left behind. A committee is formed and as a result, Philip is placed on it to look after these widows. Who were widows? Rejected people. Outcasts. First, he’s called to the rejects, then he is called to Samaria – to a group of people who did not even associate with Jews and now he’s called to a Eunuch – another version of that. Look at the similarities. No one at all is exempt from the gospel. Not one person. And because of Philip’s obedience, we see many people receive the Gospel and are saved. When we walk through these scenarios, we see this: God is doing something strategic here. The gospel is for everyone.

The gospel does not play favourites. It is for the oppressed and for the oppressor. Every single person can have access to the gospel. And they will all have opportunity to spread the gospel. There is no one on earth who is too far from the love of God. There has never been a single person on this entire planet who has been too far from God.

We don’t really know what happened to the Eunuch after this. But, historical records suggest he became a great evangelist in Ethiopia. So transformed by what Christ did for him that many conversions seem to come from his leadership. It makes sense . . . isn’t that what Philip did? If that was his experience, he would probably spread the good news of what Christ did for him. That’s how it moved. From people group to people group because people were obedient to spread the message. That’s what Philip did. His obedience led to a revival in a people group of people that hated each other. His obedience to just run up to that chariot . . .

What would have happened to the Eunuch if Philip wasn’t obedient.
“I don’t have my runners on God.”
“I’m kind of busy running a revival in Samaria, Lord. You can’t pull me out just to run to that one guy.”
“You don’t need me to go to Samaria; they don’t even like me because of who I am.”
In the midst of everything, Philip was true and he was obedient.

What would have happened to Samaria? To the Eunuch if Philip wasn’t obedient? What happens today if we’re not obedient? If our obedience helps to propel the gospel forward, then does our disobedience hinder the move of God? There’s a responsibility on our lives to present the gospel of Jesus wherever we are.

This verse is so powerful, though sometimes we mistake the witness part. We think we need to go on a Missions Trip or stand on a soap box on a street corner . . . we think it has to be this great, grand thing. We think it has to be done just like how it was in the Bible. In Philip’s story, we see progression. How does Philip get to chasing down a guy in a chariot? He starts by taking care of widows on a committee with a bunch of other people. Maybe being a witness for you is learning to reflect His glory. Being the best employee or boss is the best start for you. Being the best father or mother for you is reflecting His glory. Being a witness to your family of who Jesus Christ is. Loving people during the craziest of crazy rush hour traffic. Maybe we’ve been looking at level 10 and God is saying to you, what about the other steps?

We’re all on different levels. At least let’s start somewhere. Philip goes from serving on a committee to chasing down a Eunuch who needs to hear the gospel.

Embrace progression. Embrace foundation. Start small and build upon, build upon build upon.

Obedience has to start somewhere, so start somewhere today.