Do you want to know the truth about Isaiah 53?

“The Good News About Jesus”

(Acts 8:26-40, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, November 27, 2011)

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went.

Philip, one of the seven deacons chosen in the Jerusalem church, was serving the Lord very fruitfully in Samaria. Many people believed Philip when he preached about Jesus and the kingdom, and they were baptized. But Philip did not remain in Samaria. He did what God told him to do. God sent a heavenly messenger, an angel of the Lord, with instructions about his next assignment.

And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot,

At this time the good news about Jesus had already spread throughout Jerusalem, and in the surrounding countryside of Judea, and then throughout the cities and villages of Samaria to the the north of Judea. But what would take place next would be a very different expansion of the message of the cross and the resurrection. The gospel would begin to take hold in the continent of Africa.

The man who would bring the gospel there would not be Philip, but an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of the queen of the Ethiopians. This unnamed dignitary had come to Jerusalem in order to worship. He was at least an admirer of the religion of the Jews. This treasurer over the royal property was in his chariot, returning home to Africa. How would God use him there?

and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

This important man was sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. Isaiah is not an easy book to understand, but he was working on that spiritual project, when the Holy Spirit spoke to Philip, and directed him to “join this chariot.”

Philip did what he was told. He ran to him, and he heard words that he knew. This Ethiopian treasurer was reading one of the key passages in the Old Testament. The entire Old Testament is about Jesus Christ, heaven, the cross, the resurrection, and the coming day of judgment. But not all passages are keys to understanding God's eternal purpose. Passages like Genesis 1-3, Psalm 22, and Isaiah 53 are in a class by themselves. They unlock the mysteries of the Bible to us when they are properly understood.

Many people do not care enough to read even the most important passages in the Old Testament. Others do not understand these passages, even if they have read the Bible in its entirety. People may be too proud to recognize their lack of understanding. They may assume that if they do not understand these passages, then no one understands them. This Ethiopian man was not that way. He genuinely wanted to know, and he knew that he needed someone to guide him, so he invited Philip up into his chariot to sit with him and to teach 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 before its shearer is silent,

so he opens not his mouth.

33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth.”

34And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

In Isaiah 53, someone is described. Who is this someone? This is a crucial question. Is it a personification of Israel? Is it Isaiah describing his own life? Is it someone else? Who was led as a lamb to the slaughter? Who went there willingly, understanding and accepting his mission? Who was denied justice by some other authority? Who died in what seemed like the end of his line?

Isaiah 53 does not end with the death of this suffering servant. It goes on to describe his life after his death. It speaks of an incomparable victory beyond death. Who is the man of Isaiah 53?

Philip knew the answer to that question. Starting with this description of the death of the Messiah, Philip told this Ethiopian man the good news about Jesus.

36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

The man believed Philip. We know that because he insisted on being baptized immediately. What a miracle of faith! With this one baptism this African man was brought into the church.

Philip went north, and this man went south. This treasurer went on his way rejoicing. He had admired Judaism in the past enough to travel to Jerusalem and to spend his time on the way back reading Jewish Scriptures aloud, Scripture that he could not understand. But now he had learned the good news about Jesus, and he went on his way rejoicing. Philip went on his way preaching wherever he found himself by the Spirit of God.

Today there are over 80 million people living in Ethiopia, and over 60% of them identify themselves as Christians. The glory for this belongs not to the Ethiopian treasurer or to Philip. The glory belongs to the one whom they preached, Jesus Christ. The good news that was hidden in extraordinary passages of the Hebrew Bible like Isaiah 53 have found their fulfillment in this one God-Man.

The heavens did not declare the glory of the birth of the Ethiopian official or Philip. The sun did not turn to darkness or the moon to blood for three hours at the death of the Ethiopian official or Philip. These two men are not the ultimate Lords of the coming Judgment Day. Jesus is. Believe Him, and draw near to God. He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for transgressors.

1. How did Philip end up here?

2. How did the Ethiopian man end up here?

3. What was God doing in this passage?

4. What do we learn from this amazing episode?

OT Passage: Isaiah 52:13-53:12