(a) Give an account of how Philip preached the Gospel message to the Ethiopian Eunuch. (b) In what two ways was this episode important to Christianity?

Answer Details

(a) How Philip preached the Gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)

An angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza," which is a desert road. Philip rose and went.

• The meeting on the road: On the way he saw an Ethiopian, a eunuch and a minister of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home, seated in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.
• The prompting of the Spirit: The Spirit told Philip to go up and join the chariot. As Philip ran to it, he heard the eunuch reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
• The eunuch's need for a guide: The eunuch replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" and he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The passage he was reading was, "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth..." (Isaiah 53).
• The eunuch's question: He asked Philip of whom the prophet spoke, of himself or of someone else.
• Philip's preaching: Beginning with that scripture, Philip told him the good news of Jesus, showing that the passage was fulfilled in the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.
• The baptism: 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?" He commanded the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
• The parting: When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more but went on his way rejoicing. Philip was found at Azotus and preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

(b) Two ways this episode was important to Christianity

• It marked the spread of the Gospel beyond the Jews to other peoples and lands: The conversion of an African official showed that salvation in Christ is for all nations, and it is traditionally regarded as the beginning of the Gospel reaching Ethiopia and the wider Gentile world.
• It demonstrates the importance of the Scriptures, guidance and personal witness in conversion: The eunuch was led to Christ through the explanation of Scripture and personal evangelism under the direction of the Holy Spirit, providing a model of how the Gospel is to be preached and how belief leads to baptism.