Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 1

Running Head: PHILIP AND ETHEOPIAN DISCOVER SALVATION TO ALL PEOPLE

Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People

Wilbur A. Reid

Regent University
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 2

Abstract

The children of Israel were anxious for the messiah, but they did not seem to understand the

prophecies that told of a suffering servant and that all people, including Gentiles, would be

eligible for salvation. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch illustrates that Jesus Christ

died for all people, regardless of race, nationality, or other personal characteristics. Philip also

provides leadership characteristics that provide a guide for servant leadership, coaching and

mentoring, and transformational leadership. The conversion of the Ethiopian illustrated to the

early believers that God wanted them to reach out to all people.
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 3

Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People

The Jews longed for the promised messiah. They envisioned “political independence and

autonomy for the Jewish people. This includes visions of the conquering Messiah, the son of

David who will restore the kingdom and power to Israel” (DeSilva, 2004, p. 38). Prophecy

foretold of one who would come that would be of the royal line of David and Solomon (1 Chron

22:8-10), that would rebuild the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem (Micah 4:1), that would lead

the Jewish people back to Jerusalem and enjoy everlasting joy (Isaiah 51:11), and that the

entire world will turn to the Jewish people for guidance and leadership (Isaiah 2:4, 11:6, Micah

4:3, Zech 8:23). It must have been challenging for Jews to reconcile this image of a king reigning

in majesty with the idea of a suffering servant (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22). This contradiction was the

beginning of a discussion between the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip (Acts 8:26-40) that led to

the salvation of the Ethiopian and the gospel being spread to the end of the earth (Matt 28:18-

20). It must have also been challenging for the Jewish people to picture an Ethiopian, who was

known to be the blackest of all people, with puffy lips and wooly hair (Snowden, 1976), as one

to whom God would grant salvation. The purpose of this paper is an ideological analysis of this

encounter that examines the implications of one’s race, religion, and social position into God’s

offer for salvation, and what can be learned from this brief encounter and applied to leadership

within the church today.

 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 4

Ideological Analysis

Throughout the book of Acts, Luke records stories chronicling the growth of the church,

not only in numbers but also in maturity. Salvation is a key theme of Acts, with the question of

who can be saved as a central point of debate (Giles, 1983). Throughout history, the Jews had

been waiting for their messiah that prophecies had foretold. Now that many of them had

accepted Jesus as the messiah, the idea that he had come for the Gentiles too was difficult for

them to understand (McGarvey, 1892). Peter began to imply a broader acceptance of people

when he expanded upon Joel’s prophecy on the day of Pentecost: “I will pour out my Spirit on

all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17).

Peter struggled with the concept of Gentiles receiving the gospel, so God used a vision

of a sheet full of unclean animals to illustrate the point in Acts 10. God instructed Peter to kill

and eat the unclean animals and Peter refused, saying "Surely not, Lord!... I have never eaten

anything impure or unclean" (Acts 10:14, New International Version). After this happened three

times, God took the sheet away and told Peter "Do not call anything impure that God has made

clean" (Acts 10:15). After the men from Cornelius arrived, Peter realized that God was telling

him that the gospel was also for the Gentiles. This fact was reinforced when the Holy Spirit was

poured out on Cornelius and the rest of his gentile family. The rest of the apostles were

concerned when they heard that Peter had been fellowshipping with the uncircumcised

Gentiles and demanded an explanation. Peter explained:

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the
beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but
you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 5

us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then,
God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life." (Acts 11:15-18).

“Early Christian leaders and teachers subjected the place of Gentiles in God’s plan of

salvation to intense debate, particularly regarding the acceptability of Gentile Christians with

the people of God as Gentiles” (DeSilva, 2004, p. 364). Discussion of the acceptance of the

uncircumcised led to a great council in Acts 15. The meeting began with a statement from

former Pharisees that Gentiles must first be circumcised before they could accept the Jewish

messiah (Acts 15:5). Paul, Barnabas, and Peter told stories of how the Gentiles were turning to

God and receiving the Holy Spirit. James confirmed that this was consistent with prophecy and

then summarized the decision by stating: "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not

make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19).

One of the stories that may have been shared at the conference was Philip’s encounter

with an Ethiopian official who appeared to be a devout God-fearer. The Ethiopian was a eunuch

that had been to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home in a chariot (Acts 8:26-40).

After being prompted by an angel to travel on this road and by the Holy Spirit to approach the

chariot, Philip heard that the Ethiopian was reading from the book of Isaiah about a suffering

servant:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he
did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of
his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth. (Acts 8:32-33)
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 6

Since Philip did not know the man in the chariot, he did not know whether to approach him as a

fellow disciple or as an unbeliever. By asking the question “Do you understand what you are

reading?” (Acts 8:30), Philip could determine if he was a believer that would recognize the

obvious reference to Jesus or a non-believer that held the Jewish expectation of the messiah to

be a conquering earthly king (McGarvey, 1892). When the Ethiopian indicates that he does not

know who the passage refers to, Philip knows that he is talking to a devout, intelligent, and

humble man seeking the truth, with no knowledge of Jesus (Smith, 1994). Therefore, he takes

the opportunity to tell him about Jesus. The Ethiopian accepts the good news of Jesus, is

baptized by Philip, and returns to Ethiopia rejoicing. At the time of this story, Ethiopia was

considered to be the “end of the earth” (Smith, 1994, p. 64).

A casual reading of the story of the Ethiopian eunuch may focus on the fulfillment of

prophecy or the role of baptism (Howley, Bruce, & Ellison, 1979), and will miss the profound

cultural implications that were present for the first century reader. Although the Old Testament

is clear that the Jews are the chosen people, “Old Testament prophecy attests to the hope that

the Gentiles would be called to worship the one God” (DeSilva, 2004, p. 364). Prophecies

foretell the acceptance of the Gentiles for salvation: "And in that day there shall be a Root of

Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting

place shall be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10). "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, my Elect One in

whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; he will bring forth justice to the

Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:1). “Indeed He says, `It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to

raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a

light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6).
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 7

Even though the salvation of the Gentiles had been foretold in prophecy, the conflict between

Jews and Gentiles in the early church can be seen in a rebuke from Paul to Peter:

When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the
wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But
when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles
because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews
joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter
in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is
it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? "We who are Jews by birth
and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by
faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no
one will be justified. (Galatians 2:11-16)

In addition to the fact that the Ethiopian was not of Jewish heritage, the fact that he was

a eunuch was also a restriction to worship in Jerusalem. Eunuchs were not allowed to enter the

temple (Deut 23:1). Scripture does not elaborate on the trip to Jerusalem to worship. Perhaps

he was turned away from the temple and not allowed to worship. Perhaps he entered the

temple through deception. Perhaps his wealth and power caused the priests to overlook his

unclean status. Whatever the case, the Ethiopian must have been keenly aware that he was not

worthy to worship in the temple of God. This experience would have caused him to relate to

the experience of the suffering servant in Isaiah. Isaiah spoke of his humiliation and that he had

no descendents. Another possibility is that the term eunuch does not refer to sexuality or

gender, but “chief officers were anciently called eunuchs, though not always literally such;

because such used to be chief ministers in the eastern courts” (Wesley, 1755, p. Acts VIII).
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 8

However, if we accept the traditional definition of eunuch, prophecy foretells the day when he

would be welcome in the presence of God:

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 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 not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to the
LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the
Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant these I will bring to
my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and
sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for
all nations." (Isaiah 56:4-7)

This passage on the Ethiopian eunuch was critical to the societal ideology of the early

church. To this point, the Jews believed that they were the chosen people of God and it was

difficult to conceive of God’s grace being extended to Gentiles. Therefore, Luke wanted to show

the early church dramatic examples of God’s grace being extended to everyone. He begins with

this story of the Ethiopian eunuch, perhaps the most unlikely person on earth to accept the

Jewish messiah and to be accepted in return. He continues with the conversion story of Saul

(Acts 9:1-19), the most zealous and notorious Christian killer of the day and perhaps the least

likely person on earth to be saved. Luke tells about Jesus personally appearing to Saul in a

dramatic and miraculous conversion (Acts 9:1-19). The story then moves to the centurion

Cornelius (Acts 10), part of the hated Roman occupying force. Surely a Roman centurion or a

Philippian jailer that imprisoned apostles (Acts 16) would be among the least likely people on

earth to accept the Jewish messiah and to be accepted by God. One of the last types of people

then that may be left out of salvation is women, especially if there is no man involved.

However, Luke includes the story of the Lydia, a Gentile (Acts 16). Lydia is an independent

business woman that accepted Christ, with no mention of a husband, father, or other male
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 9

relatives. Yet, Luke uses these stories to show all of the different types of people that were

accepted by God. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes

in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Leadership Application

It is interesting to note three different leadership attributes that we can learn from

Philip: (a) servant-leadership, (b) coaching and mentoring, and (c) transformational leadership.

Philip gives us an example of a man who embodies the servant-leadership that Jesus modeled

in the washing of the feet of the apostles (John 13). Philip’s first ministry in the church was to

wait on tables (Acts 6:1-7). The apostles were being distracted by the many needs of the church

and decided that seven men should be chosen that are full of the Spirit and full of wisdom to

take care of the various tasks of the church such as waiting on tables. Philip was among the

seven chosen. When great persecution broke out among the church in Jerusalem, he fled to

Samaria and began preaching there (Acts 8:5-8). It was from Samaria that he was instructed to

go to the road where he would meet the Ethiopian. Greenleaf describes servant-leadership:

The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to
serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is
sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage
an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the
servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that
are part of the infinite variety of human nature. (Greenleaf, 1977, p. 27)

When Philip approached the chariot, he taught the Ethiopian about Jesus by joining him

in the chariot and sitting beside him. Yukl (2006) says that service to followers is the essence of
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 10

ethical leadership. Leaders should use their leadership position for the liberation and

empowerment of the marginalized. Fogarty (2009) summarizes the story of Philip and the

Ethiopian eunuch and servant leadership:

The results of servant leadership include higher ethical standards within organizations
and greater value placed on human worth. Social injustice and inequality are opposed
and the weak and marginal members of society are treated with respect and
appreciation. Society benefits from servant leadership. (p. 8)

Christian leadership should lift people up out of whatever situation they are in. The gospel is

the good news for everyone and it should transcend discrimination. Martin (1989) describes the

challenges that Africans have faced throughout history and described how the story of the

Ethiopian demonstrates that God accepts all people, regardless of race, nationality, or gender.

The second leadership tool that we can learn from Philip is coaching and mentoring.

Philip was enjoying a successful ministry in Samaria:

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went
down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard
Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he
said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were
healed. So there was great joy in that city. (Acts 8:4-8)

However, as successful as he was in Samaria, he was still only reaching one small piece of the

world. By teaching someone that would take the gospel to the end of the world, Philip was

reproducing his efforts so that he was much more effective reaching the lost because the

Ethiopian took the gospel back to Africa with him. The implication for leaders today is that they

need to pass along their wisdom and knowledge to others so that they can grow into leaders

themselves. Blanchard and Hodges (2005) describe one of the key differences between self-

serving leadership and servant leadership is the willingness to not see others as a threat to
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 11

power, but the willingness to invest in other people by coaching and developing them from

followers to leaders.

Philip also demonstrated transformational leadership by showing the Ethiopian what

Jesus Christ had done for him and what that meant for his life. Transformational leadership

seeks to raise the consciousness of people above their own self-interests by appealing to higher

ideals (Burns, 1978). Taking this step of leadership may not have been an easy step for Philip to

take. Proclaiming the gospel to an African eunuch was sure to be criticized sharply by those

believers who had been Pharisees (Acts 15:5) and would argue later than a convert must first

become a Jew before he could accept the Jewish messiah. However, exercising the courage to

do the right thing transformed the life of this man, and it is likely that he took the good news of

Jesus back to Ethiopia and spread the gospel there. He “went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39).

Conclusion

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch provide insight into the preparation of the

Jewish church to become a global church. Philip provided leadership by breaking through

barriers to reach another part of the world. Although the Ethiopian was not welcome into the

temple and faced limitations on how he could worship God, Philip was able to show him that

the sacrifice of Jesus was able to open the door for salvation to him. Philip demonstrated

servant leadership by putting the needs of others before his own needs. A key part of this story

is that others may be different. Philip was a servant to someone of a different nationality, race,

and sexual status. Philip provided an example of coaching and mentoring someone who was

eager to learn, with the result being a man who was eager to share his new faith with others.
 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 12

Finally, transformational leadership was evidenced by a changed life. The key to understanding

the significance of Philip’s leadership is to understand the point of view of the actors in this

play: the author, the participants, and the reader.

 Philip and Ethiopian Discover Salvation to All People 13

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