A Life in Exile

My late husband was a great builder of bridges—not the steel and concrete variety, but the eternal kind. God used the verses from the Qur’an, which he was forced to learn in school as a boy, to decades later become the source material for bridges he would build when speaking to a Muslim about Christ. He started with something they knew and walked them over obstacles and questions to the Good News of Christ and the Word of God. This is why I love our Old Testament lesson today, as it was used to build just such a bridge.

Many of us know these verses as being part of the larger Messianic passage from the prophet Isaiah.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was taken away because of oppression and judgment, and who considered his fate? For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was struck because of my people’s rebellion. (Isaiah 53:7-8 CSB)

If you took the time to go back through that fifty-third chapter, I think you would find it easy to connect every verse to our Lord Jesus Christ and his work on the cross. Philip used what was troubling a specific man at a specific point on the road.

Led by the Spirit

We are not always aware of how God brings people across our path, but in the case of Philip, it was very clear. Luke tells us how it came to pass in the book of Acts.

An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road. So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” (Acts 8:26-29)

I don’t think it could be any clearer than that. An angel of the Lord told him to go south on a very specific road, and then after Philip obeyed, the Spirit gave very specific directions: “Go and join that chariot.”

The very important Ethiopian eunuch had obviously caught Philip’s eye. I mean, after all, it’s not every day you’d see such a fancy chariot on the road to Gaza. Philip may have even stepped aside on the road out of difference to the man. He was a high official. Was it the man and chariot that caught Philip’s eye or the words he heard? Whatever it was, the Spirit wanted him to know that this was the reason for his trip.

Oh, that I would move as quickly as Philip when the Spirit pricks my heart.

The Conversation.

What is the easiest way to start a conversation? Talk about something the other person is obviously interested in. If they’re wearing a team jersey, ask them about their team. If they’re watching a news bulletin at the airport, talk about the event. If they’re humming a tune, engage them about music. Philip asked the man about what he was reading.

When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:30-31)

Knowing the man was not a natural-born Hebrew, Philip guessed correctly that he might not understand the Hebrew scriptures. It’s a simple question. It was also a Spirit-led one. If the Spirit is leading us to engage a person for the cause of Christ, he’s going to give us the words to say.

After showing him the verses he was reading, which we read above, the conversation continues.

The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?” Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture. (Acts 8:34-35)

Philip could have asked the eunuch what he understood about the passage or another leading question, but in this case, the eunuch was the one who opened the door wide to Philip to share the gospel. He began with that very Scripture passage from the prophet Isaiah and completed the bridge by telling him about Jesus, the Messiah who fulfilled that prophecy within their lifetime. Perhaps he used John the Baptist’s words about Christ, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Landing on the other side.

As he shared the good news of Jesus Christ and led the man to faith, Philip was blessed to have a willing candidate for immediate baptism. When the eunuch saw some water, Philip led him to the water and baptized him on the spot. I love what Luke tells us happened next.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer but went on his way rejoicing. Philip appeared in Azotus, and he was traveling and preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:39-40)

This ability to use Scripture to build bridges is nothing new. In fact, this whole story reminds me of an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. What did he use as a bridge? What did she have in her hand? A jar. The jar led to a request for water that led to a word about the living water that led to the Messiah that led to faith. That crossed bridge led to an entire village hearing and knowing Christ.

Where will the Spirit lead you today? Who has something in their hand that is linking them to a need for hope and salvation? Will you build a bridge?

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Learning from the Past post, click HERE, or start the series from the BEGINNING.