Philip, the Ethiopian and the ever expanding circle of welcome
I love this story.
We get to this great big happy ending. The Ethiopian gets baptized. Philip is overjoyed. A wonderful story about the church drawing ever wider the circle of welcome.
This is the point of the story. This is the yes of the story
My New Testament teacher Craig Hill writes: “As I read the New Testament, I am struck by the effort its authors expended to create communities within which social barriers could be overcome, social hierarchies transcended, and the social marginalized accepted. They attempted to manage spaces in which existing social distinctions would not only be overcome; they would become irrelevant, made obsolete by the knowledge of God’s perfect love,” he writes. “It takes effort today, as well. ‘Being Christian’ is a corporate exercise. We experience God’s love — and with it our own salvation, our own justification — together. Where that happens, there is the church as the apostles intended it.”
And that is a good, yes? I think it a really good goal. Something we can view as a great goal: To ever expand the circle of welcome.
What strikes me about this story is all the times it could have fallen apart. How many times a no could have stopped cold the yes of this story.
First instance. The spirit says to Philip. Hey, you see that chariot over there. Go close to that person, stay close. Go, go, go.
Fear of the other could have stopped this whole thing before it was even a story. Philip could have easily said: Oh no. No, no. I don’t know that guy. He doesn’t look like me. He could be a foe, he could be a friend. But i’m not going to find out. I’m staying right here.
Fear could have stopped this cold. But in the power of the spirit, the no and the fear turned into the courage of yes.
Philip shows courage. Every teacher does.
“As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together.” Parker Palmer
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Maybe you’ve had a teacher like that. Courageous and connected.
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So Philip goes to the chariot. He hears the Ethiopian reading a Jewish sacred text.
Remember my teacher said:
I am struck by the effort its authors expended to create communities within which social barriers could be overcome, social hierarchies transcended, and the social marginalized accepted.
Philip knew this guy was a Eunuch and guess what: Deuteronomy says they don’t get to be a part of the scene. They’re outsiders. They are excluded.
So, if Philip wants to stay stuck in an old rule, an old way of being, if he wants to be like: hey guess what? This isn’t how we do things…
If he goes that route, corpse cold tradition, the story is over.
But in the power of the spirit, Philip says: “Hey we’re doing something new.”
It takes trust and courage to be on the side of innovation and expanding the circle of love.
Easily the story could have been over, with a no based on some knee jerk reaction akin to this is how we’ve always done it. And this is how we shall always do it, the way we’ve always done it. But no. Philip persevered.
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What are you reading, Philip says? He knows he is reading Isaiah. He knows he is part of the tribe, even though he is both powerful and marginalized, an Ethiopian and a eunuch.
“Do you get what you’re reading?” Philip asks.
Philip easily here could have ended the story by making an assumption. Making assumptions can stop cold a genuine encounter. Philip could have thought: “Of course he gets it. He’s reading it.
But what does Philip do? He stays curious!
Courage and curiosity increase compassion and connection.
Now, it isn’t just Philip, the eunuch could end this story early too.
Philip asks him, “Do you understand?” At that point, his ego could have trapped him and he could have said: “Of course. Don’t you know I am powerful? I am in no need of you.”
But in the power of the spirit, ego and pride and defensiveness gave way to openness.
The Ethiopian with humility and self awareness says: What do you see in this?
Philip with courage and curiosity met him where he was and shared his story.
And in that moment, connection and compassion increase.
So that when the time is right, the eunuch has the courage to say, “Hey, it looks like there is some water. Despite all of the things that might prevent me from being a part of the community, can’t i just get baptized now?”
And Philip has the courage to say, “Of course. Be baptized. Despite all the things that in the old days would have made you an outsider, you are an insider. You are of course invited into the circle of hospitality and welcome.”
Everyone, this that, gay straight, eunuch or not, powerful in this way but not in other ways, are insiders now.
I will leave you with these quotes from Rachel held Evans:
“This is what God’s kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table, not because they are rich or worthy or good, but because they are hungry, because they said yes. And there’s always room for more.”
“The apostles remembered what many modern Christians tend to forget — that what makes the gospel offensive isn’t who it keeps out but who it lets in.”
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the southa]” style=”font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; top: auto; display: inline;”>[a] 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 from 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?”b]” style=”font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; top: auto; display: inline;”>[b] 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philipc]” style=”font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; top: auto; display: inline;”>[c] 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.
