by Tad Lindley
Phillip had been preaching in Samaria and people were believing, being baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then God told him to leave Samaria and so he did. As he was walking South a chariot happened by. In it was an Ethiopian man who sat reading his Bible. God told Phillip to approach the chariot. He asked the Ethiopian man if he understood what he was reading. (Acts 8:26-30)
“How can I except that someone should guide me?” he told Phillip. He showed Phillip what he was reading from the Book of Isaiah: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. Then he asked Phillip, “Of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself or of some other man?” In other words he was saying, “Who is Isaiah talking about in these verses, himself, or someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (Acts 8:31-35)
This is why we preach the Old Testament
Much of the Old Testament points to the coming of the Lord, Jesus. This is why even though the Old Testament is the Hebrew Bible, Christians need it. At this point in time the New Testament did not exist, and so in the beginning the church taught just as Jesus had, from the Old Testament. But let’s get back to the Bible verse that the Ethiopian man was reading.
Examining the data
The Ethiopian was reading Isaiah 8:58 when Phillip showed up. Phillip broke the verse down and showed the man how Isaiah had not been writing about himself, but had in fact been writing about Jesus. It may have gone something like this:
•He was led as a sheep to the slaughter– when a sheep is led to the slaughter, it does not put up resistance, it simply follows the shepherd as if it is going out to pasture. This is how Jesus went into the handcuffs of those who arrested him. Remember when he told Peter to put away his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane? (John 18:10-11) Jesus was completely cooperative.
•and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth– you need to know that the word, “dumb,” used here is an older English word for mute. In other words, Jesus was silent before his accusers. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. (Luke 23:9 NIV)
•In his humiliation his judgment was taken away– his status and his authority appeared to have been reduced to absolutely nothing as his broken and naked body was nailed to the cross and lifted up to kill him.
•and who shall declare his generation?– Jesus left no children, no one to carry one his generations.
•for his life is taken from the earth– He died on the cross at Golgotha. His life was taken from his body, and then his resurrected body was taken up from the earth in Acts 1:9.
A mystery solved
The subject of Isaiah’s prophecy was easily solved by one who was familiar with the facts. There is no other person who has ever lived that better fits that scripture than Jesus! Now it is very important that we keep reading to see the Ethiopians’ response to Phillip’s explanation. You see Phillip did more than simply explain the scripture, he also unfolded the Biblical plan of salvation to the Ethiopian. Watch this.
What else did Phillip preach?
Apparently Phillip went from preaching Isaiah 53:8 to talking about water baptism in Jesus’ name. Here is the proof I have: And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. (Acts 8:36-38) No written Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, no recorded book of Acts and yet here Christianity is being spread through only the preaching of the Old Testament as Phillip solved the mystery of the lamb that was led to the slaughter!
Please check back next week, as we solve the great mystery of Godliness!
Reverend Tad Lindley is a minister at the United Pentecostal Church in Bethel, Alaska.