In Acts 8 a little known disciple named Philip is told
to take a southern dessert road down to the city of Gaza. Gaza, at this time, was a city that had been
destroyed 100 years earlier and would not be rebuilt for another 30 years after
this moment. This means that Philip was sent to a city that did not exist. Gaza
was a ghost town. It was also about 50 miles southwest of Jerusalem which
equals about a solid two day walk.
It is fascinating to look at this story and see that
this is sometimes how God works. Sometimes he will plant in us some vision,
direction or hunch. A hunch that we are to go someplace and do something that
does not always come across as the best strategy. Philip is being sent to a
ghost town which does not sound like the best strategy. As Philip journeys to
Gaza he discovers that the real goal was not Gaza but who he meets on the road.
Along the route to Gaza Philip meets an Ethiopian, shares the good news,
performs a baptism and then seems to vanish. The really interesting thing is
that this is the least interesting thing that God does in Acts 8.
The person that Philip encounters we are told is an
Ethiopian eunuch who serves as the treasurer for the Queen of Ethiopia. It is
also possible that this Ethiopian would have been considered a God-fearer. A
God-fearer is someone who is not Jewish yet finds the Jewish description of God
appealing. This Ethiopian is obvious not Jewish and we read that he has
recently been to Jerusalem to participate in some kind of worship. He has also acquired one of the scrolls of
Isaiah which he has been reading aloud while riding in his chariot.
Acts 8 also tells us that this Ethiopian is a eunuch.
There is no real delicate way to describe what a eunuch is other than to simply
say he has been castrated. Eunuchs in the ancient world were often voluntarily
castrated and were even known to castrate themselves. Why such a gruesome act?
Since this Ethiopian is in the service to the Queen of Ethiopia there is a good
reason for him to be a eunuch. Ethiopia at this time in history were ruled by Nubian
Kings. These Kings had grown powerful through their connection with the real
superpower to the north Egypt. They fancied themselves as Pharaohs and where
considered the off spring of the sun god. Since they were the off spring of the
sun god it meant that they were too holy to do actual work. The actual work of
ruling and administration of governmental affairs fell to the Queen. If you
were going to be welcomed into the service of the Queen and you were a man then
you would be castrated so that you were not a threat to her power.
Since your body not only lost certain body parts in
castration it also lost certain male hormones. It was not uncommon then for eunuchs to
look and act more feminine. In our modern day language we would
probably refer to them as transgender or transvestites. As a consequence eunuchs do
not fit social categories and were not highly regarded then or now. When you can’t fit into
a category and nobody knows where to place you then you often get sent to the margins of society. Thus the interaction that Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch have
is particularly interesting.
In Deuteronomy 23:1
it specifically says “No one who has been
emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.” In
other words, eunuchs will not be accepted into the assembly of God. You have
violated God’s creative work. In Genesis God gives men and women the ability to
be co-creators with God in that they can create new life. When you remove that
part of yourself used for creating life then you have become like a dead tree
and God does not want you in the assembly. So with a strict prohibition that
says eunuchs will not be allowed in the assembly it is stunning that Philip
baptizes this eunuch. The eunuch asks (v.36) “Look, here is
water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” The answer is simple.
You are a eunuch and you don’t get to be baptized. You should have considered
your actions more carefully. This is not the answer that Philip gives. What can
stand in my way of being baptized? Not a thing. You want to be baptized then
here you go.
Can you imagine if Facebook, Twitter or Bloggers
existed back in this time? Can you imagine how upset people would have been?
This is scandalous stuff. Philip you went and baptized an Ethiopian! Which means you welcomed him into the Kingdom of God! That
is not okay! You did not ask him to change who he was! You just let him in! Philip
you are a Jew and certainly you know what law says. Did you miss the memo?
Not only did this eunuch receive the grace of
God, accept the good news and was baptized something even more improbable occurred.
Currently about 65% of Ethiopia is Christian. The majority of that 65% are
native people that grew up in a Christian church. Not western transplants, nor
missionaries that moved in from other countries. The Church in Ethiopia can trace
their origin back to this very eunuch in Acts 8. Not only did God send Philip
to some random place to interact with this eunuch this eunuch also became the
carrier and the catalyst that gave birth to an entire new world of Christians.
That is stunning.
Acts 8 only records a portion of what
the Ethiopian was reading in Isaiah. We don’t know how much of the book of
Isaiah was contained in the scroll. It would be interesting to know if he read Isaiah
56:3-5 which states “And let no eunuch
complain, “I am only a dry tree.”For this is what the Lord says:“To the eunuchs
who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant—to
them I will give within my temple and its wall a memorial and a name better
than sons and daughters; “ All the way back in the book of Isaiah God is
expanding the range of the convent. Jesus says in Acts 1 that his Kingdom of
God message will reach to the ends of the earth. In other words the good news
is for everyone not just for those considered worthy. What happens is Philip
basically says if you are thirsty then here drink. He does not ask if requirements
have been meet. He does not ask the eunuch to change. He does not ask for a
statement of theology or recount the history of Israel. This is a fascinating
and astonishing story. A story that tells us just how far “the ends of the
earth” means.
Where are the boundary lines drawn?
Who can or can’t get into the Kingdom of God? This is a story about God reaching beyond all the
barriers and boundaries. God reached beyond areas considered appropriate and
categories that make sense. God seems to be saying that all of the stuff that
others might be worked up over he is not. God simply accepts you for you. God
seems to be saying that I am not asking you to be something different. I will
start right where you are. Which leads to a tough question – What do we demand
of people that God doesn’t demand? Do we demand things of others that God
actually does not demand? Maybe we think he demands but he really doesn’t. The truth
of this passage is that it teaches us this other truth – that God extends water
to all who are thirsty not just those who are worthy.
What is the only qualification
required of this eunuch? The only thing
he did was ask – Can I please be baptized? And there was nothing else asked of
him. This seedless man became a seed that grew an entire nation of
Christians. What an extraordinary impossibility! This is how expansive the love
of God continues to be.
Are there things you have done that
you are ashamed of? Maybe there is a secret that you desperately keep to yourself
because if anybody finds out then you fear how you would be regarded. This passage
shows us that God is not angered by, nor surprised, nor shocked by the
skeletons in our closet. This is what the radical acceptance and grace of God
means. Even the things that you are most ashamed of, God is not that worked up
about. This story suggests that God is more interested in you then your
skeletons.
There will always be folks that are uncomfortable
with God’s radical acceptance. Partly because there are a lot of people in the
world that they don’t like and partly because they secretly are not sure they
are acceptable to God. Perhaps God should demand more. Yet that is not what this
story says. In this story God seems to place belonging before behaving. The
courage to accept this kind of love is to change radically not just our own
hearts but also how we relate to and accept others. One of the reasons why we don’t
accept others is because we struggle with feeling acceptable ourselves. Then
consider the eunuch who had no business whatsoever becoming a part of the
Kingdom of God.
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