NRSV Acts 8:26-40 26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to...

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NRSV Acts 8:26-40 26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 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 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 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. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away rom the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 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?”s 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip to baptized him. 39 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. 40 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. by Mind Map: NRSV Acts 8:26-40 26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 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 28 and was  returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said  to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading  the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I,  unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 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. 33 In his humiliation justice  was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away rom the earth.” 34 The  eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about  someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him  the good news about Jesus. 36 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?”s 38 He commanded  the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip to baptized him. 39 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. 40 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.

1. Stories?

1.1. the length of college friendships

1.2. television shows with people getting credit for saving lives

2. Lutheran Hermaneutic

2.1. Law

2.1.1. THe glory belongs to God

2.2. Gospel

2.2.1. The Word is relevant to all, not just those that understand.

3. Possible Trajectories?

3.1. The glory belongs to God

3.1.1. Jesus Christ Died on the the cross, we just proclaim His story

3.2. Who is welcomed into the promise

3.3. God's providence

4. Exegetical Work

4.1. Greek

4.1.1. Translation

4.1.2. Word Studies

4.1.2.1. ἀναγινώσκοντος

4.1.2.1.1. normally read, but also can mean recognize (BDAG)

4.2. Entire Book

4.3. Pericope

4.3.1. Who is Phillip

4.3.1.1. in verse 6:5 we read of Phillip being chosen as one of the first seven "deacons"

4.3.1.2. 8:5 we read of him going off preaching the Word to Samaria

4.3.1.3. He then preaches in various cities on his way to Cesarea, where he eventually remains (chpt. 21).

4.3.2. Eunuch

4.3.2.1. A proselyte (The Lutheran Commentary)

4.3.2.1.1. Not a proselyte of righteousness because of the bodily mutilation, no circumcision possible

4.3.2.1.2. Proselyte of the gate, a stranger that lived within the gates of a Jewish city without being a member of the people

4.3.3. The Eunuch cannot understand what is being read unless without help

4.3.3.1. asks for a guide

4.3.3.1.1. point of the pericope is that life is a journey that requires a guide (Pervo)

4.3.3.1.2. Scripture is not self interpreting (Pervo)

4.3.4. Phillip is miraculously carried away by the Spirit of the Lord

4.3.4.1. Phillip is a servant of God, a preacher of the Gospel, he goes where and when the Spirit leads him

4.3.5. Occurs in the desert (Pervo)

4.3.5.1. the region in which Israel experienced direct contact with the divine

4.3.6. Major Elements/Themes

4.3.7. God's providence is evident (Pervo)

4.3.7.1. Angelic direction leads to the Eunuch on the road

4.3.7.2. He was reading Isaiah, a key passage in early Christian theology

4.3.7.3. Water appeared just when it was needed for baptism

4.3.8. Precursor to Paul's conversion and the taking of the Gospel message "to the ends of the earth." chpt 13.

4.3.8.1. a story foreshadowing the conversion of the Gentiles.

4.3.9. He was reading Isaiah 53

4.3.10. Returning from going to worship

4.3.10.1. narrator never says he actually worshipped

4.3.10.1.1. can't deduce he was a "God-fearer"

4.3.10.2. official is moving away from the temple and toward the prophets (Pervo)

4.3.10.2.1. This is progress in Lucan terms (Pervo)

4.3.11. Baptism

4.3.11.1. What is preventing the baptism?

4.3.11.1.1. Eunuch's not allowed to become Jewish, but nothing preventing him from becoming Christian (a sect of Judaism).