My FamilyDevotion
Menu

Acts 8:26-40

From Jerusalem to Gaza

Read the passage

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

28and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

29The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”

30So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

33In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”

34“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”

35Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.

40But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

An angel sends Philip to the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. There he meets an Ethiopian court official returning from worship in Jerusalem. The official is reading Isaiah in his chariot, and the Spirit directs Philip to go alongside.

Philip hears the reading and asks whether he understands it. The man says he needs a guide and invites Philip to sit with him. His question is specific: who is the prophet describing, himself or someone else?

The passage describes a sufferer led like a sheep to slaughter, silent before his tormentors and denied justice. Beginning with those words, Philip tells him the good news about Jesus. The humiliation of the servant becomes a way to explain the Savior who suffered and died.

When they reach water, the official asks about baptism. The chariot stops, and Philip baptizes him. Then the Spirit carries Philip away, and the official continues rejoicing. Philip goes on preaching in the towns toward Caesarea.

God has brought a messenger and a reader of Scripture together. Philip's help matters, but the official's joy is not dependent on keeping Philip beside him. He leaves with the good news of Jesus.

How We Know

The passage the official reads corresponds to Isaiah 53:7–8: a sufferer compared with a sheep led to slaughter and deprived of justice. Acts explicitly says Philip begins there to explain Jesus. The connection to Christ is part of the narrated conversation, rather than a link invented by this devotion.

Questions

1 What was the Ethiopian reading?

AnswerHe was reading from the prophet Isaiah, specifically the passage describing a servant led like a sheep to slaughter.

2 What did Philip ask him?

AnswerHe asked whether the official understood what he was reading, opening the door for a conversation rather than assuming the answer.

3 What did Philip explain?

AnswerHe began with Isaiah and explained the good news about Jesus, showing how the suffering servant pointed to Him.

4 How did the official leave?

AnswerHe went on his way rejoicing after believing and being baptized, carrying the good news beyond the place where Philip had met him.

What This Means for Us

The official has an important position, yet freely admits that he needs help understanding Scripture. There is no shame in that request. A good question can open the way to learning.

When reading as a family, let someone say what they do not understand. Find the relevant words together or ask a knowledgeable person for help. Resist answering a different question simply because you already have a prepared explanation.

Philip begins with the text and speaks of Jesus. Let the help you give lead someone toward Christ rather than toward dependence on you as the only person with answers.

Prayer

Jesus, make us attentive guides who listen well and explain your good news faithfully. Give us joy when people meet you in Scripture. Amen.