Philip and the Ethiopian Official
Philip is told to leave a successful mission in Samaria and go to a desert road, with no reason given. On it he meets the chariot of a court official of the Kandake, the queen of the Ethiopians — a treasury minister who has been to Jerusalem to worship and is reading aloud from a scroll of Isaiah on the way home.
Philip runs alongside and asks whether he understands what he is reading. The reply is one of the most quoted lines in Acts: how can I, unless someone guides me? The passage is the suffering servant led like a lamb to the slaughter, and the official's question — is the prophet speaking of himself or someone else? — gives Philip his opening.
They come to water and he asks what prevents him being baptised. He goes on his way rejoicing, and the gospel has reached beyond the empire's edge.
Where in scripture
[7] He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he didn’t open his mouth. [8] He was taken away by oppression and judgment; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people?
Isaiah 53:7–8
[26] But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.” [27] He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. [28] He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. [29] The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” [30] Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” [31] He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him. …
Acts 8:26–40 — opening verses
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
