Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” 27 So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.” 30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. 32 This was the scripture passage he was reading: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 33 In [his] humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth.” 34 Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, “I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. 36 As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” [37] 38 Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Philip received Divine instructions to head towards Gaza via the desert route. Gaza was a predominately Gentile city located southwest of Jerusalem along the coastal road that linked Egypt with Palestine and served as an important hub for commerce and cultural exchange. Philip followed the angel’s instructions and along the way, he encountered an Ethiopian eunuch returning from Jerusalem in his chariot studying the prophet Isaiah whose writings are filled with Messianic prophecies. The eunuch was a high-ranking court official serving the queen of Ethiopia. The trek between Ethiopia and Jerusalem would have been long and arduous spanning hundreds of miles. The eunuch would have had to cross desert terrain and rivers and navigate through various regions with different political jurisdictions and cultures. This shows the commitment to his faith and the significance of worshipping in the holy city of Jerusalem. Under the Mosaic Law, the Eunuch could not have worshipped in the Temple; “No one whose testicles have been crushed or whose penis has been cut off may come into the assembly of the Lord (Deut. 23:2).”
The Spirit directed Philip to join the Eunuch and Philip ran to the chariot where he heard the Eunuch reading from Isaiah. Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading and the Eunuch told him that he needed instruction and asked Philip to join him in the chariot. The eunuch was reading Isaiah 53:7-8, which describes the suffering and silent submission of the servant of the Lord, and the Eunuch asked Philip the identity of the suffering servant Isaiah was describing. Philip explained the Gospel and told him that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The Eunuch asked to be baptized and Philip baptized him. After the baptism, the Holy Spirit removed Philip from the eunuch's presence and Philip found himself in Azotus, a city in ancient Philistia. He continued his mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all the towns he encountered along the way until he reached Caesarea
Almighty God, help us to be attentive to your promptings and to share the truth of the Gospel boldly, knowing that your Word transforms hearts. Grant us the humility to seek understanding of Sacred Scripture and the courage to respond in faith. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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