Taken from Acts 8:26-40
An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south* down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So Philip obeyed and went south down the desert road, and on his way down the road Philip met a man from Ethiopia, who was the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship God.
Now, let’s take a minute for a short history lesson. Ethiopia was in Africa which is south of Egypt. And Jerusalem is in Israel. That is quite a long journey. The eunuch must have loved God very much to travel that far to worship him. Do you know of anyone who would travel that far to worship God?
Let’s get back to the lesson story and see what happen.
After the eunuch worshiped God in Jerusalem he got in his chariot and started on his way back home. He was sitting in his chariot going down the desert road, he was reading out aloud from the book of Isaiah the prophet.
· Why did the eunuch go to Jerusalem?
o ___________________________________
· Where is Ethiopia?
o __________________________________
· What book was the eunuch reading out loud?
o __________________________________
Now, the Holy Spirit told Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the chariot and stay near it.”
Philip ran over to the chariot and he heard the man reading out loud from the book of Isaiah. So Philip asked the man, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
The man told Philip, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” So the man asked Philip to get into the chariot and sit down with him.
What the man had been reading was these verses:
“He was led like a sheep on its way to be killed. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, while its wool is being cut off, he did not open his mouth to say a word.
He was treated badly and he did not receive a fair trial. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth”
You might be asking, “What do these two verses mean? So let’s take a closer look.
1. He was led like a sheep on its way to be killed. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, while its wool is being cut off, he did not open his mouth to say a word. Jesus is the he and the lamb they are talking about. And when he was arrested and went before the high priest he kept his mouth shut. In Matthew 26:62 and the first part of verse 63, we read where the high priest said, “Do you answer nothing? What is it these men are saying against you? But Jesus kept silent.
2. He was treated badly and he did not receive a fair trial. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth”. Jesus was beaten and made fun of. He had no descendants for he had no children. The word “descendants” means children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on down the line of children. He died on a cross for our sins. So that anyone who believed in Him could have everlasting life with Him. For Jesus is the only way to get to heaven.
· Who was the “He” the man was reading about?
o ____________________________________
· What does the word “Descendants” mean?
o ___________________________________
Let’s go back to our lesson.
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me please, was the prophet Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?” So Philip beginning teaching the man from the same verses he had been reading, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.
As they rode along, they came to a place where there was some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may!” And the man answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Then the man ordered the carriage to stop, and they both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but he went on his way very happy. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus (A-zo-tus). He preached about Jesus, there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.
· What did Philip teach the eunuch?
o ______________________________
· When the eunuch saw some water, what did he ask Philip?
o ___________________________________
· What did Philip tell him the eunuch?
o _____________________________________
· What did the eunuch answer back?
o ______________________________________
· What happen then?
o ______________________________________
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