The Ethiopian

This is an odd little story with an odd exotic character. It’s another of those “on the road” stories Luke is famous for. The last time we had regular worship, we read another “on the road” story…a story about the road to Emmaus. Now, it’s an Ethiopian eunuch on the road from back home.

Being on the way…or being on the road…always has significance in the , but especially for Luke, who wrote both Luke and Acts. Surprising and eye-opening things happen on the road. Experiences of transformation and new insight happen on the road.

On the road to Emmaus, devastated disciples mourned the death of , convinced it was all over…until the risen met them on the road. And everything changed. Previous assumptions about life and the finality of death were cast aside.

Now, someone else has a startling experience on the road…this time with one of Jesus’ apostles. This story is a vision of how Christ’s ongoing work happens through his disciples…through the church.

First, let’s talk about this Ethiopian eunuch. Eunuch isn’t a word we use much anymore. A eunuch is a man who does not have functioning testicles.

A eunuch can be born without the normal male reproductive organs. It’s possible that was the case with this eunuch. Disease or accidents can also cause it.

But it was also a common practice in the ancient middle and near east to castrate boys and men who were to serve in some way to the royal family. Eunuchs could not be king, so they represented no threat to the ruling king or queen.

They could be placed in positions of power and authority without the king or queen having to worry about them trying to take over.

And in some cases, eunuchs were put in charge of a king’s harem…the king’s stable of women he used for his pleasure. Being unable to perform sexually, eunuchs were again no threat.

It’s all rather nasty business to us…and really it was then, too. But it’s the way things were.

This eunuch serves the queen of Ethiopia. He’s in a position of great power.

He’s likely also very wealthy. See, the distance between Jerusalem and Ethiopia is over 1500 miles. According to Google, a horse drawn carriage can travel 40 miles in a day at an easy pace. This guy traveled almost 40 days to go to worship! That takes some serious cash! And what’s even weirder? Based on the Jewish law from Leviticus and Deuteronomy, his status as a eunuch excluded him from full participation in Temple worship!

He spent some serious money to take a long, dangerous journey to worship God in a place that didn’t even fully accept him!

This God of Israel must have had some powerful pull on him.

Now he’s headed home. He’s trying to understand this God…trying to understand what he’s reading in the Hebrew scriptures.

What he quotes here is from . It is one of the suffering servant poems. Four times, the prophet Isaiah writes about this suffering servant…this one who will take on the full weight of Israel’s sin…who will be rejected and even killed.

Then, this suffering servant would somehow bring about healing and restoration of Israel…and through this same servant, so would the rest of the world be healed and restored.

Perhaps the eunuch had been reading and pondering Isaiah for his whole trip. If so he would have read this just a little further on in Isaiah 56:

For thus says the LORD: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

In spite of his wealth and power, something precious had been stolen from the eunuch – it left him on the margins of worship in the Temple. God had something better in mind. The eunuch is assured by God’s word through the prophet Isaiah that he too will be a part of this family of God. No longer will he be an outsider.

But the eunuch was still puzzled. How would this happen? It seemed like this suffering servant in Isaiah had something to do with it. But who the heck was this suffering servant?

As he ponders the prophet’s words, suddenly, both the eunuch and probably Philip are surprised by the other on this road. This Jewish man appears on the road and strikes up a conversation with the eunuch. Do you understand what you are reading? He asks.

How can I? Can you help?

And then Philip tells him about Jesus. He tells him about Jesus’ suffering and his death. He tells him about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The parallels between Jesus and Isaiah’s suffering servant are obvious. The eunuch gets it.

Jesus is the suffering servant. God has done a new thing…through the death and resurrection of Jesus, this coming day Isaiah spoke of has come. A new creation has been birthed.

And in this new creation, the eunuch is no longer on the margins…no longer limited by his neutered status. He can fully participate in the worship of God and in the work of God.

They come to a place where there’s water. Filled with joy about this news of Jesus, the eunuch cries, “what’s to prevent me from being baptized?”

The law in Leviticus and Deuteronomy would have answered, “well, duh…you’re a eunuch. Eunuchs can’t be a part of this…not completely anyway.”

But the prophet Isaiah had already signaled a change coming. And now through this suffering servant, through Jesus Christ, the change has happened. The answer to the question now becomes…nothing. Nothing can prevent you from being baptized.

The eunuch was rich and powerful but nonetheless damaged goods. Now it turns out his altered gender status didn’t prevent him from being a part of God’s new reign.

His ethnic origin as an Ethiopian didn’t prevent him from being a part of God’s new reign.

His black color didn’t prevent him from being a part of God’s new reign.

And for all the words in the Bible that show God’s special protection and care for the poor, being a rich man didn’t prevent him from being a part of God’s new reign either.

No wonder he returned to Ethiopia with joy.

This story is about two things…in Philip, the story is about the church on the road. It’s the story about the church going out on the road to tell the good news of Jesus Christ.

And the eunuch tells the story about the people the church will meet on the road. The people we as the church on the road will meet won’t look like we thought they might. They might be odd, exotic people. They might be people whom the world has told you are damaged goods.

Sometimes our prejudices and judgment will meet the same sincere question the eunuch asked…what’s to prevent me from being a part of this new creation?

Sometimes, we’re not even sure whether we are qualified to be a part of what God is doing. Maybe we even ask ourselves, can even I be a part of this new creation?

No matter who asks it, always the answer to the question “what’s to prevent me from being a part of God’s new creation?” is going to be “nothing.”