Bible ReadingActs 8:26–4026 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
[06:29]27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
[06:37]28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.
[06:48]29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
[06:57]30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
[07:03]31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
[07:11]32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
[07:22]33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
[07:32]34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
[07:34]35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
[07:45]36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
[30:05]37 And he gave orders to stop the chariot.
[34:54]38 Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
[34:58]Isaiah 53:7–87 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
[23:14]8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
[23:28]Isaiah 56:3–53 Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let no eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.”
[26:49]4 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—
[26:51]5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.”
[27:02]Deuteronomy 23:11 No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.
[25:03]Observation questions- What details in Acts 8 show that the Ethiopian eunuch was both a person of importance and a person who was searching for God?
- What does Philip do before he explains Scripture to the eunuch? What question does he ask, and how does the eunuch respond? [21:29]
- What words in Isaiah 53 describe the suffering servant’s treatment, especially regarding humiliation, justice, and being cut off?
- How does Isaiah 56 speak differently to eunuchs than Deuteronomy 23 does? What promises are given in Isaiah 56? [27:02]
Interpretation questions- Why might God send Philip away from a fruitful ministry in Samaria and onto a desert road for one person? What does this show about God’s concern for people who are easily overlooked? [15:11]
- What does it mean that Philip was told to go to the chariot and “stay near it”? How is this more than a quick greeting or a one-time conversation? [18:45]
- Why would Isaiah 53’s description of someone humiliated, deprived of justice, and cut off have mattered deeply to the Ethiopian eunuch?
- The eunuch asks, “What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” How do Isaiah 56 and the good news about Jesus answer a person who has spent life expecting rejection? [30:18]
Application questions- Is there a “desert road” God may be asking you to take—an uncomfortable place, person, or situation you would rather avoid? What might obedience look like this week? [36:38]
- Who in your daily life may feel unseen, excluded, ashamed, or unsure whether there is a place for them with God? What is one simple way you could move toward them rather than waiting for them to come to you?
- Philip listened first and began with a question. In a conversation with someone who does not yet know Jesus well, what question could help you listen to their story rather than rushing to give an answer? [21:29]
- Hospitality can be as simple as making space for connection through coffee, a walk, a meal, or an unhurried conversation. What kind of simple, repeatable hospitality fits your life right now? [20:17]
- Are there barriers in your own heart—fear, busyness, prejudice, past hurts, or the desire to stay comfortable—that keep you from staying near people God may be pursuing? What would it look like for one of those barriers to come down? [38:23]
- Is there someone you have been praying will take a next step toward Jesus—a family member, neighbor, coworker, classmate, or friend? How might you faithfully “ride on the chariot for a while” by walking patiently with them? [34:35]
- If you personally have wondered whether your past, brokenness, or sense of not belonging could keep you from God, how does the eunuch’s baptism speak to that fear? What step of trust, repentance, or obedience may be in front of you? [33:18]
