A Winsome Witness
Stories
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit
Series VI, Cycle B
Object:
He was an Ethiopian bigwig. Apparently, he was what was called a "God-fearer" -- the designation given by Jews to those who were not Jewish but who had expressed faith in their God. No matter how devout this fellow might have been, he would never have been welcomed as a convert -- he was a eunuch. Hebrew law was explicit: "No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 23:1). Very graphic. Very explicit. Very harsh, and especially since such a situation would not normally be of an individual's own choosing. A male, but not quite a man. A sexual misfit. The issue in the Jewish mind was family -- a eunuch could not have one, so, they were thought of as under some sort of divine curse, an obvious disqualification for participation in temple observances.
I give credit to this fellow. He could have thumbed his nose at the Jews and their God for treating him so shabbily, for excluding him based on a sexuality that was thrust on him, not out of some perversion, but may well have been since his childhood to qualify him for service in the royal court. He was apparently most intelligent, skilled, and talented, because he had risen to become one of the queen's highest officials -- cabinet rank ... Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman of the Federal Reserve all rolled into one. Why would someone who has achieved such a station in life be willing to accept the insults of another religion when he could have avoided such shame by sticking with the beliefs of Ethiopia? Something must have convinced him that the God of the Jews was no ordinary god, that this god was God.
That is why he had been in Jerusalem, a city thought of by people of faith as God's hometown. God-fearers, then and now, look forward to a pilgrimage to Jerusalem just as devout Muslims dream of a Hajj to Mecca.
Now, he was going home. As he rode, he read -- the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Interesting choice ... for a eunuch. Isaiah had some words of hope for men in our friend's condition. In the prophet's vision of the age to come was a picture of the eunuch no longer excluded, no longer complaining of being "a dry tree," one without hope of descendants, because God would reward the faithful eunuch with a lasting monument and name in the temple -- yes, actually in the temple (where this man was not now allowed even to set foot), which would be far better than sons or daughters (Isaiah 56:3-5). At the moment he is struggling with the passage we have come to know as Isaiah 53: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation [his posterity]? For his life is taken away from the earth."
Posterity? What posterity? This man has been "cut off." He will have no posterity, no descendants. He is like the eunuch -- no children, no family. It is almost as if the eunuch is reading his own story. No wonder he wonders.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, our friend meets another traveler on this desert road. We who are familiar with the story know that it is not an accidental encounter -- God had sent Philip there to help this seeker in his search.
Just as I want to credit the eunuch with keeping the faith in spite of obvious obstacles, let me credit Philip here for his willingness to follow the Lord's lead. By way of background, Philip was one of the church's first deacons, the seven individuals who were chosen to assist the apostles with the social ministry of assisting those in need. However, within a short time, the deacons' job description had expanded to preaching and teaching, as well. Just prior to this encounter on the Gaza road, this willing worker had led a successful preaching mission to Samaria. Philip might well have said, "Gee Lord, I'd rather stay right where I am -- the city with all its people and activities and great needs. This has been a good ministry here in Samaria; let me keep on keeping on." But, to his eternal credit, Philip was willing to get up and get going ... even to down to a dry, dusty (and dangerous) wilderness road, to a lone figure in the desert.
As the story goes, Philip comes running up to our swarthy friend. He chases down this chariot and talks to this guy while jogging along side. He finds him struggling over scripture, and asks (between attempts at catching his breath), "Do you understand what you are reading?"
"How can I, unless someone guides me? Can you help? Climb on in here. I would love to understand." Once Philip was in the chariot, the eunuch asks, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this -- sheep to slaughter, a lamb before its shearer, justice denied, life taken away -- about himself or about someone else?"
And how did Philip respond? He had heard the questions and answered them. It was that simple. He did not try to talk theology to the man. There were no creeds to be followed, no doctrines to be affirmed. There was just the story of Philip's special friend, Jesus. For those who care about reaching others for Christ, and want a truly biblical model for evangelism, this is it -- one person telling another about someone very special: Jesus.
Do you want to be as winsome a witness as Philip? Then just tell the story. Tell about Jesus, not as some sort of ultimate fire insurance, but tell about him as you have come to know him ... in your own life, in your family, in your church. No need to theologize. If a specific question is asked, answer it. Other than that, tell your story.
By the way, if we ever hope to have an opportunity to share our own experience of faith with a friend, it would be a good idea if we have thought about it some beforehand. What would you answer if someone came up to you and asked you point-blank about why you became a Christian and what being a Christian and a member of Christ's church has meant to you? Perhaps you had an experience like Paul on the road to Damascus that utterly changed the direction of your life. Or perhaps you grew up in a Christian home and, one day, just very naturally, you realized that you did indeed trust Christ as your Lord and Savior ... a conscious decision on your part, but a relatively easy one. Then think of what that decision has done in your life ... the comfort in times of trial, the happy fellowship in times of joy. Try to put that into words so that, when the time seems right, you can share it with someone who wants to hear.
Something Philip said made a profound impression on the Ethiopian. "What is to prevent me from being baptized?" he asked. Something Philip had shared gave this man the idea that, where religion had excluded him before, now he would be welcomed. "What is to prevent me from being baptized?"
The scriptural account gives no indication that Philip hesitated, but well he might have. "What is to prevent you? Well, for starters you are a different race -- a Gentile. Color -- that could be a problem. Then, there is this sexuality thing -- you are different, and, as far as some folks think, that would disqualify you. Of course, you have not jumped through the theological hoops -- making a profession of faith in just the right way, using just the right words. I mean, have you prayed the sinner's prayer? No? Well. What is to prevent you from being baptized? Lots of things. And if you will give me a bit of time, I will think of even more."
But to Philip's eternal credit, and to the church's eternal edification, there was no objection, no pre-condition. This Ethiopian eunuch, so long an outsider in the household of faith, was now welcomed as a member of the family. It was a rare and wonderful moment.
How does the story end? Suddenly, this winsome witness by the name of Philip is gone, as miraculously as he had appeared. The eunuch "went on his way rejoicing," and tradition says he became the first Christian missionary in Africa. Praise God!
Now, with whom can I share the story?
I give credit to this fellow. He could have thumbed his nose at the Jews and their God for treating him so shabbily, for excluding him based on a sexuality that was thrust on him, not out of some perversion, but may well have been since his childhood to qualify him for service in the royal court. He was apparently most intelligent, skilled, and talented, because he had risen to become one of the queen's highest officials -- cabinet rank ... Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman of the Federal Reserve all rolled into one. Why would someone who has achieved such a station in life be willing to accept the insults of another religion when he could have avoided such shame by sticking with the beliefs of Ethiopia? Something must have convinced him that the God of the Jews was no ordinary god, that this god was God.
That is why he had been in Jerusalem, a city thought of by people of faith as God's hometown. God-fearers, then and now, look forward to a pilgrimage to Jerusalem just as devout Muslims dream of a Hajj to Mecca.
Now, he was going home. As he rode, he read -- the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Interesting choice ... for a eunuch. Isaiah had some words of hope for men in our friend's condition. In the prophet's vision of the age to come was a picture of the eunuch no longer excluded, no longer complaining of being "a dry tree," one without hope of descendants, because God would reward the faithful eunuch with a lasting monument and name in the temple -- yes, actually in the temple (where this man was not now allowed even to set foot), which would be far better than sons or daughters (Isaiah 56:3-5). At the moment he is struggling with the passage we have come to know as Isaiah 53: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation [his posterity]? For his life is taken away from the earth."
Posterity? What posterity? This man has been "cut off." He will have no posterity, no descendants. He is like the eunuch -- no children, no family. It is almost as if the eunuch is reading his own story. No wonder he wonders.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, our friend meets another traveler on this desert road. We who are familiar with the story know that it is not an accidental encounter -- God had sent Philip there to help this seeker in his search.
Just as I want to credit the eunuch with keeping the faith in spite of obvious obstacles, let me credit Philip here for his willingness to follow the Lord's lead. By way of background, Philip was one of the church's first deacons, the seven individuals who were chosen to assist the apostles with the social ministry of assisting those in need. However, within a short time, the deacons' job description had expanded to preaching and teaching, as well. Just prior to this encounter on the Gaza road, this willing worker had led a successful preaching mission to Samaria. Philip might well have said, "Gee Lord, I'd rather stay right where I am -- the city with all its people and activities and great needs. This has been a good ministry here in Samaria; let me keep on keeping on." But, to his eternal credit, Philip was willing to get up and get going ... even to down to a dry, dusty (and dangerous) wilderness road, to a lone figure in the desert.
As the story goes, Philip comes running up to our swarthy friend. He chases down this chariot and talks to this guy while jogging along side. He finds him struggling over scripture, and asks (between attempts at catching his breath), "Do you understand what you are reading?"
"How can I, unless someone guides me? Can you help? Climb on in here. I would love to understand." Once Philip was in the chariot, the eunuch asks, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this -- sheep to slaughter, a lamb before its shearer, justice denied, life taken away -- about himself or about someone else?"
And how did Philip respond? He had heard the questions and answered them. It was that simple. He did not try to talk theology to the man. There were no creeds to be followed, no doctrines to be affirmed. There was just the story of Philip's special friend, Jesus. For those who care about reaching others for Christ, and want a truly biblical model for evangelism, this is it -- one person telling another about someone very special: Jesus.
Do you want to be as winsome a witness as Philip? Then just tell the story. Tell about Jesus, not as some sort of ultimate fire insurance, but tell about him as you have come to know him ... in your own life, in your family, in your church. No need to theologize. If a specific question is asked, answer it. Other than that, tell your story.
By the way, if we ever hope to have an opportunity to share our own experience of faith with a friend, it would be a good idea if we have thought about it some beforehand. What would you answer if someone came up to you and asked you point-blank about why you became a Christian and what being a Christian and a member of Christ's church has meant to you? Perhaps you had an experience like Paul on the road to Damascus that utterly changed the direction of your life. Or perhaps you grew up in a Christian home and, one day, just very naturally, you realized that you did indeed trust Christ as your Lord and Savior ... a conscious decision on your part, but a relatively easy one. Then think of what that decision has done in your life ... the comfort in times of trial, the happy fellowship in times of joy. Try to put that into words so that, when the time seems right, you can share it with someone who wants to hear.
Something Philip said made a profound impression on the Ethiopian. "What is to prevent me from being baptized?" he asked. Something Philip had shared gave this man the idea that, where religion had excluded him before, now he would be welcomed. "What is to prevent me from being baptized?"
The scriptural account gives no indication that Philip hesitated, but well he might have. "What is to prevent you? Well, for starters you are a different race -- a Gentile. Color -- that could be a problem. Then, there is this sexuality thing -- you are different, and, as far as some folks think, that would disqualify you. Of course, you have not jumped through the theological hoops -- making a profession of faith in just the right way, using just the right words. I mean, have you prayed the sinner's prayer? No? Well. What is to prevent you from being baptized? Lots of things. And if you will give me a bit of time, I will think of even more."
But to Philip's eternal credit, and to the church's eternal edification, there was no objection, no pre-condition. This Ethiopian eunuch, so long an outsider in the household of faith, was now welcomed as a member of the family. It was a rare and wonderful moment.
How does the story end? Suddenly, this winsome witness by the name of Philip is gone, as miraculously as he had appeared. The eunuch "went on his way rejoicing," and tradition says he became the first Christian missionary in Africa. Praise God!
Now, with whom can I share the story?
