Acts 8:26-40

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
   and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
     so he does not open his mouth. 
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?
     For his life is taken away from the earth.’ 
The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 

There is only one other reference to eunuchs in the New Testament in Matthew 19:12: “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

It seems likely to me that this encounter marks another step towards more inclusivity by the followers of Christ (very clearly directed by God). One celebrated in the hymn “Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live …. All are welcome”. 

The nameless Ethiopian eunuch was a triple outsider – a gender-variant foreigner from a racial minority – and his experience shows that the early Christians welcomed all kinds of outcasts. The term translated as ‘eunuch’ included a variety of sexual minorities that today might be called queer or LGBT. Philip could be considered a patron saint of LGBTQ allies.”

I acknowledge this interpretation isn’t widely accepted, however, it does fit with the bapism. Here the baptism is also inclusive and informal, a model that hasn’t generally lasted (as any candidate for ministry who has had to search for their baptism certificate will know).

How inclusive the Church should be is still a contested issue, for me one of the many sad side effects of COVID-19 has been a delay to hopes for the Methodist Church to be more inclusive on marriage.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised another related issue about doing things the right way, as it has encouraged revisiting the issue of online communion, something long asked for by those working for inclusion around disability.

Acts is a book full of new discoveries of a new world following the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit. In some we see strides towards radical inclusion and informality. In others towards rules and boundaries. We are going to also chart out way through a new world post-pandemic. To me Philip seems a good example to follow.

Blessings as we strive to be more accepting of those who are not like us.  Be safe!  Be well!  He is Risen Indeed!

 To Ponder:

• When our understanding of normal is having to change, is your preference to prefer stability and tradition or innovation and fresh ways? Why?
• Which of our Church practices do you think need to be re-examined in the light of the pandemic?  How?