Trinity Episcopal Church
Towson, Maryland
Year B - Easter 5 - May 3, 2015
Philip the apostle and Philip the deacon are two characters in the apostolic community that have been confused over the years. While some say that they were the same, others separate the two. This account in Acts involves Philip the deacon, therefore the character study in this sermon is incorrect and would have been more interesting if it were Philip the deacon.
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:24-30
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
In order to understand and be
able to unpack the story, especially in Holy Scripture, we need to place
ourselves within the action… Within the context of the story… We can do this
several ways. We can be an outsider looking in on the action or we can try to
place ourselves as one of the characters.
On the surface, our lesson from
the Acts of the Apostles looks simple. Almost too simple. Philip is one of 12
apostles… It was this time after the resurrection that the apostle witnesses were
sent out by Jesus to proclaim the risen Christ to the whole world.
And we have an unnamed Eunuch
from Ethiopia that is an official in the court of Queen Candace. They both are
traveling the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip sees the Eunuch reading a
scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Philip helps him understand the scripture he is
reading and proclaims the Lord Jesus, the Eunuch is moved and has a desire to
be baptized and Philip baptizes him.
The story seems simple from the
outside, the characters on the surface are simple enough. However, if we peeled
the onion and let ourselves learn a bit and try to understand the characters in
the story, we may get a totally different understanding.
Let’s look a little closer at
Philip first. Philip is one of the 12 called by Jesus to be a disciple. He is a
witness to the resurrection and therefore an known now as an apostle. We know
that Philip was from Bethsaida (the same city as Andrew & Peter) which is
city of Northern shore of the sea of Galilee in Northern Israel. The name
literally means “House of Fishing,” so we can assume, like some of the other
disciples, that Philip was a fisherman like Andrew and Peter.
After Philip was called by Jesus he
went around with Jesus everywhere. We know that Philip was a Jew and sources
say that he was older than Jesus. We know from scriptures that Philip was
inquisitive and asked Jesus questions like how he might find enough bread to
feed 5000 people. Up to this point in the story, that’s about all we know about
Philip.
Let’s take a closer look at the
Eunuch. We are told that the Eunuch is Ethiopian, so we can assume he is of a
much darker complexion than Philip. He is a Eunuch, therefore he has been
castrated, forever damaged physically, never able to have a family and
descendants of his own. We can assume that he didn’t volunteer for this
condition.
Most Eunuchs were slaves that
were made that way for a purpose. His particular purpose was to serve in the
court of the Queen of the Ethiopians. We know that regardless of his
enslavement, he is put in charge of the Kandakē – the Ethiopian queen’s entire
Gaza treasury.
Because the unnamed Eunuch was
traveling back home from Jerusalem (after going there to worship) we can assume
he is Jewish. What’s interesting is that he took a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to
the temple to worship, but wasn’t even allowed to go into the temple. He was
“damaged” physically and therefore impure. Therefore, he was not allowed to
enter but only be on the outskirt portico or the “hall of the gentiles.” According
to Jewish practice, there was no amount of sacrifice or action that would
restore him to ritual purity.
None the less, the Eunuch was
studying the prophet Isaiah on his return trip from Jerusalem. But he wasn’t
just studying Isaiah, he was reading the portion we know as Isaiah 53, that we
know as the description of the suffering servant.
"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?
For his life is taken away from
the earth."
In his discussion with Philip,
the Eunuch asks about whom is this passage written? Obviously, the Eunuch, in
his condition identifies with the prophet’s writing, because he has gone
through the same thing… Led to the slaughter
in his castration, humiliated and denied a choice in the matter… Literally
having his ability to have a family taken from him. Therefore his life taken
from the earth… Once Philip described the recent events that happened in
Jerusalem concerning Jesus of Nazareth, and the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection,
it was very easy for the Eunuch to identify with a God who suffered in the same
way that he had.
We can understand, after
thoughtful examination, that this Eunuch had a thirst to belong and understand,
but because of his condition was not able to be fully part of the community… Not
able, of course until he met Philip and heard the Good News…
The Eunuch’s question about what
is to prevent him from being baptized is honest… He had been denied full
inclusion into the Jewish faith because of his brokenness. Yet with baptism,
the Eunuch is fully included into the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
The Eunuch received baptism and
was fully restored into full and right relationship with God. Fully restored
and made complete… so complete, that when he returned to Ethiopia, he became a
witness to others and ended up being a spiritual father to many.
Regardless of his condition of
brokenness, regardless of his nation of origin, and regardless of the color of
his skin… God restored him.
That’s what God does. God takes
us as we are, whoever we are, and whatever we are, and restores us into full
right relationship by baptism… It doesn’t matter who we are or what we look
like, by faith in Jesus Christ and Baptism we are ALL the same. We are ALL
equal!
However, some people think that social
class, color, or condition prevents us from sharing that equality. The equality
that God points out so clearly throughout scripture. By thoroughly examining
the characters in the story of Philip and the Eunuch from Ethiopia, it’s hard
not to think about the recent events in Baltimore this week.
It’s not hard to think about a
neighborhood community that is in pain, longing to be healed. A community that
is viewed by some as incomplete or not worthy of time and effort. A community
striving to be accepted for who they are.
Many folks have come together
(clergy and lay) to civilly bring attention to the lack of equity by marching
in protest, by vying for time with the city council, by publically advocating
for them and stating the case for those who lack a voice... for those who lack
justice.
Regardless of what you think of
what happened this past week, it was the right thing to do… It was the gospel
thing to do… It is the way we show others the God we believe in... The God that
shows no partiality…
In Jesus the Christ, God accepts
us and loves us… But God doesn’t just love us… God loves us enough to die for
us. God loves you enough to die for you. Die so that you and I can be fully accepted
and have full and complete accesses to the living God. Access, so that we could
live in the vine of relationship as branches and vine intertwined together. Us
together with the savior, baring the good fruit of relationship with others, lest
we risk being cut-off and cast out…
We, as a world, need to emulate
that action… We need to bare good fruit. We need to live out the Gospel of
restoration in our lives because that is indeed the mission of the Church.
The mission of the Church, the
gathered body of the living Christ, is to restore the world to God through
Jesus Christ our Lord… May we bear the fruit of relationship in this mission, and
seek to serve those who may be different from us, those whom society has put
into a hole and forgotten, those whom we may or may not understand…
We are called to listen and
provide a path to restoration… and be the prophetic voice of restoration like
Philip to the Eunuch, who, regardless of class or condition… and regardless of
race or ability, gave the Eunuch complete access and showed him unconditional
love.
May we be so bold.
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