The Ethiopian (Acts 8)

Mark Grasso

The many unfortunate attacks on the Word of God and Christianity today include that God is racist, the Bible promotes racial discrimination and Christianity is oppressive towards minorities. Such attacks may stem from a misunderstanding of God’s ways with the human race in Old Testament times and a consequential belief that God considered Israelites to be better than anyone else and treated them, and the rest of the world, accordingly. Perhaps those making such attacks are also predisposed against Christianity because of the ways in which the name of Christ has been applied to abhorrent racist practices, such as slavery. Leaving aside the flaws in such arguments and reasoning, it cannot sensibly be said that the gospel of the grace of God set out in the New Testament is in any way discriminatory. God loves the whole world, and every human being equally, and sent His Son to be their Saviour, while Christ Jesus came into the world to save every sinner, whatever their race (John 3:16; 1 Tim. 1:15). As explained in Romans 3:21–30, there is no difference: all have sinned, but all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are saved in the same manner by the work of Christ, who gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:6).

The record of the conversion of the Ethiopian in Acts 8 is proof that God desires that all would be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). In verses 26–39, the Holy Spirit has given a more detailed account of his conversion than of the conversions of many others, including Europeans. Although probably of importance in his own land because he was the queen’s treasurer, the Ethiopian may have been looked down upon by the Jews, who were, sadly, fixated on the idea that they were a superior race.[1] This man also suffered the indignity of having been made a eunuch.[2] However, God did not judge the man differently because of these things. 

The Ethiopian had been to Jerusalem to worship (v. 27). However, the fact that he did not understand Isaiah 53 indicates that he did not find spiritual help there, despite it being the centre of God’s affairs on earth and the home of the chief priests and scribes (i.e. those who ought best to have understood what the Old Testament speaks of: Christ and His work). This is an indictment on the corruptions which had come to mark that which was holy, just and good and established by God (Rom. 7:12). As the Jews regarded the law as their religion (Gal. 1:13–14) and the worship of God as theirs alone (e.g. John 5:1), it is also possible that they had no regard for, let alone desire to help, a foreigner. They may also have applied Deuteronomy 23:1 too far and concluded that a eunuch would never be the subject of God’s blessing. These experiences led to the Ethiopian departing from Jerusalem (the city where God had caused His name to dwell) with his questions about the Scriptures unanswered, going downwards (perhaps like the man who went from Jerusalem to Jericho: Luke 10:30) and travelling through a desert, where he would have found neither natural food and refreshment nor the spiritual equivalents (Acts 8:26). It is shameful that instances of racist practices and teachings within the Christian profession have hindered members of minority groups from coming to the Lord.

Before sending Philip, God had already begun speaking to the Ethiopian through the Scriptures. God’s Word would not have returned unto Him void but would have accomplished its purpose in bringing about the salvation of this man who was diligently seeking Him (Isa. 55:11; Heb. 11:6). However, perhaps it was because this man had suffered as a result of his race that God took a particular interest in him and sent one of the great evangelists of the early church to him, namely Philip, even when this drew Philip from a field where there was a great response to his preaching (vs. 5–8). Philip had no hesitation in accepting the commission to speak to a foreigner, and even ran to his chariot so as to be able to preach the gospel to him as quickly as possible (vs. 26–27, 30–31). Philip was not put off by any differences in dress or modes of transportation, or what others might think, but entered the man’s chariot and sat with him (v. 31). 

The scripture used by the Holy Spirit and Philip to speak to this man’s heart and conscience was an Old Testament scripture (Isaiah 53).[3] Having been preached in Jerusalem, Judaea and Samaria as the Lord had directed (Acts 1:8), the gospel was now being preached to the nations. The first Gentile to rejoice in the Lord (v. 39) was this Ethiopian.

[1] To provide but one example of this, much of the Jewish opposition to Paul’s ministry stemmed from his preaching salvation to the nations (Acts 26:20–21).

[2] There is no reason to read the word any way other than literally.

[3] This might, in and of itself, be sufficient to refute any arguments that God’s ways in Old Testament times were discriminatory. Words appearing just three chapters later would also establish the same (Isa. 56:3–8).

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From: Truth and Testimony, 2022