"How Can I Understand?"

I’ve been thinking about the Ethiopian in Acts 8. He is an odd character, not the typical convert that the apostles are meeting in Jerusalem: he’s Ethiopian, he’s a eunuch, he’s in charge of his queen’s treasury, he practices his faith. It is not clear if he is a convert to Judaism or a “God-fearer,” one who believed in the monotheism of Judaism but was not bound by Jewish law. He’s traveled a long way to worship at the temple. He’s reading the scriptures on his own, even though he lacks instruction. He’s a seeker of the truth.

Phillip finds him as he’s reading Isaiah 53:7-8. He asks the Ethiopian if he understands it, and the man says no, that he needs instruction. With Advent coming up, and its readings from Isaiah, I can relate to the man. The prophets are confusing; there is so much cultural context that I can’t understand without instruction. He’s trying, but it’s not clear to him.

Phillip explains how Isaiah predicts the coming and sacrifice of Jesus. The Ethiopian requests baptism, and they stop along the road so Phillip can baptize him. Then Phillip leaves to continue his mission, and the Ethiopian, presumably, returns to Kush (now in Sudan) to spread the Good News he’s learned. Ethiopia does have one of the oldest Christian communities, and the Orthodox community there refers to him as Simeon Bachos.

I really like the account of the Ethiopian’s conversion. While others are joining by the hundreds, this is a personal account. We get to know who he is—where he’s from, his high position, his status as eunuch that probably keeps him from full participation in the community, his faith. He is devout and wants to know the truth. And when it comes to him, he accepts it. The waiting, the seeking, is over: the truth, in Christ, has arrived.