²⁶ As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹ The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

³⁰ Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹ The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

³² The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.
    And as a lamb is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
³³ He was humiliated and received no justice.
    Who can speak of his descendants?
    For his life was taken from the earth.”

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” ³⁵ So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

³⁶ As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” ³⁸ He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

Acts 8:26-40

Dear God, something different caught my eye this morning in this story. I don’t know that I’ve ever thought about the difference in position in life (or even cleanliness) between the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip. I am sure Philip was not clean or dressed in fine clothes. I’m sure he was sweaty and dirty from walking the road. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian eunuch was a court official who was in charge of the treasury of Ethiopia. He was riding in a chariot, and since he was reading it implies that it’s not like a chariot I saw in Ben Hur, but a large one with a place to sit and a driver. He also had the book of Isaiah with him somehow. Not a cheap thing to have in his possession. Yet, he must have been Jewish for him to have been in Jerusalem to worship.

So, I’m going to work with the assumption that you prompted a dirty peasant to go and share your news of Jesus with a leader in Ethiopia. What dominoes did this one encounter knock over? We don’t get to know what happened in Ethiopia as a result of Philip’s visit with the man, but I would bet it was critical in your plan.

And I want to give some credit to the Ethiopian too. He was not royalty, but he was royalty adjacent. To allow this man into his chariot and then humble himself enough to be taught by Philip is quite a remarkable thing. I am thinking that the Holy Spirit also put a hunger in him to want to learn at all costs.

Father, help me to follow all of your promptings. I also have some friends and family who need you. Prompt their hearts and help them to follow those promptings as well. Help me to know what my role is and is not in their lives. Love them. Love through me. Thank you for what you are doing that I cannot see.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen