The Gospel of Isaiah
A sermon for Trinity 5 from Acts 8:26ff
My sermon yesterday delivered at Providence Reformed Episcopal Church Corpus Christi, Texas:
The lesson today from Acts chapter 8 presents us with a remarkable and important episode in church history. At first glance, the passage is simply about the conversion and baptism of an Ethiopian royal official. And that is important. The heavens rejoice over just one person converting to faith in Jesus Christ. The God who is concerned with history and with the whole church through time also loves each of us and rejoices when just one turns to Christ.
But here in Acts we also have a significant moment in church history although that is not explicit in the text itself. For the Church in Ethiopia has an august history. Now I am no expert on the Church of Ethiopia, but my understanding is that up to the 19th century, it was the largest African church south of the Sahara Desert. Christianity was the state religion of Ethiopia until the 1970’s. At that time, a Marxist government persecuted the church and murdered its Patriarch. But the Ethiopian church survived and has remained faithful, although its practices may seem a bit different to us in the West. Today the main Ethiopian church is estimated to contain 36 million people.
And it might have all started with Philip meeting this court official in the desert. Now it is possible there were Ethiopians present at Pentecost who heard St. Peter’s sermon a few years earlier. But even if that is so, the influence and enthusiasm of this important official surely played a role in the growth of the early church in Ethiopia. A number of sources indicate as much. The 4th c. historian Eusebius wrote that he “became an apostle for his people.”
So let’s look at how God brought this about.
First, God leads Philip (And by the way this Philip is one of those made deacons earlier in Acts chapter 6. He is not to be confused with Philip the Apostle.) God leads Philip into the desert. And it does not appear God told Philip why at first. But Philip went anyway.
There may be times when God has you into a desert place, in the middle of nowhere or the middle of somewhere you would rather not be. And when that happens, it’s okay to wonder what is God doing. We see that in the Psalms where the Psalmist is honestly wondering what God is doing.
But you remain faithful. And you might just find out for yourself that it is amazing how God can use a faithful obedient man or a faithful obedient woman, even in the middle of nowhere. In this case, God brought about the beginnings of a national church that has persisted through the centuries and numbers in the millions upon millions.
Not only did God use the faithfulness and enthusiasm of Philip, he used scripture in a wonderfully providential way. Tommy Nelson of Denton Bible Church likes to say that God knows where you are going to read in the Bible, and God knows where you are in life. And God knows how to bring the two together to speak right to you, right where you are. We see this happen here in Acts. Starting at verse 30:
‘[Philip] heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 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.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
This passage is from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah.
‘And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.”
And the Ethiopian was convinced to the point that when he saw some water, he asked to be baptized. He was rather eager to get baptized.
And baptism is something to be eager and excited about. We saw that demonstrated very well for us two Sundays ago by Lorenzo and Hendrix. I was watching from Oxford, and I loved the joy and enthusiasm of those two boys as they were baptized. I am thankful for their good example.
Now Philip did not teach the Ethiopian from the New Testament; it had not been written yet. Philip chiefly explained Isaiah 53. How could he share the Gospel so convincingly from Isaiah 53? Well let’s look at it.
Now in case you are getting concerned about the length of this sermon, Philip and the Ethiopian had hours and hours on a slow desert road trip. I realize I don’t have that much time. So we will only look at some highlights here. I do encourage you to find the time to read Isaiah 53 slowly verse by verse later. But for now we will start at verse 4.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
Who was “pierced” on his hands and his feet for our transgressions, for our sins? Who was “pierced” with nails to a cross? Isaiah did not yet fully know, but we do.
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
All we like sheep have gone astray. Like stupid sheep — and sheep are rather stupid. Have you seen that video of a man dragging a sheep out of a steep ditch. And what does that sheep then do? He jumps right back into that same ditch and gets stuck again. Well, like stupid sheep, we have gone astray and jumped into the ditch of sin again and again.
But the Lord has laid upon Him the sin of us sheep. Who is he? Isaiah did not yet fully know, but we do.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
“By oppression and judgement he was taken away.” Without going into all the details, the trial of Jesus — yes, you have probably figured out that is who Isaiah 53 is talking about — the trial of Jesus was far from a fair trial. In a number of ways, it violated even the Sanhedrin’s standards for a fair trial. The Sanhedrin made a judgement, but it was a travesty of oppression, not justice. For Jesus “had done no violence,” nor deceit. He never sinned at all.
Then Jesus was “stricken for the transgression of my people,” crucified for our sins. He was made “an offering for guilt,” the offering to take on the punishment for our sins. As our Book of Common Prayer says in the Holy Communion, His death on the cross was “a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world.”
And did you notice that detail about his burial?
“They made his grave with the wicked.” Crucifixion was a shameful death reserved for criminals the Roman Empire wanted to make a gruesome example of. And the bodies of those who were executed by crucifixion would be dumped into graves set aside for criminals. So Jesus had a “grave with the wicked” ready for him.
But Joseph of Arimathea, a godly man, also a wealthy man, got permission to take the body of Jesus and to place it in his tomb. So Jesus had “his grave with the wicked” all ready for him, but instead was buried in a rich man’s tomb.
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
Again, Isaiah foretold this detail over 600 years ahead of time.
Continuing….
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
…Wait a second. We just had him dead and buried. But now he is very much alive and prospering. And it happens very suddenly. I will read the text again to show you what I mean by sudden.
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
So he’s dead, he’s buried, but all of a sudden he’s alive, and God’s will propers in his hand.
I am convinced that what we have here is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ . . . prophesied over 600 years before it happened. I imagine Philip pointed that out to the Ethiopian official. No wonder he was so convinced. Isaiah 53 is convincing to anyone with eyes to see.
Back to the text.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
And, indeed, having born our sins on the cross, Jesus now makes intercession for us transgressors at the right hand of the Father. Yes, Isaiah prophesied that, too.
More could be said from this wonderful prophesy, but what we have seen this morning is amazing. We see the death of Jesus for us. We see his burial in the rich man’s grave. And I think we also see his resurrection and ascension.
So how should we respond to this marvelous prophesy and to Jesus doing all this for us?
If we have not yet come to faith, we follow the wise example of that Ethiopian official. Like him we search the scriptures and seek God’s truth. That’s what he was already doing when Philip found him on that desert road. And we see how God marvelously made Himself known to that honest seeker.
Like the Ethiopian, we respond to the truth — to the Faith — and believe. And like him we are baptized, if we have not already been baptized, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.
If we have already believed, we tell others the Good News. And given the court official’s enthusiasm and the ancient and historic growth of the church in Ethiopia, it is safe to say he did just that.
Now I know we are Anglican and are not supposed to get too enthusiastic. Nonetheless, we should be so amazed by what God has done for us through Jesus Christ — so amazed that we cannot keep to ourselves. We share the Good News, the Gospel, with others.
And we allow God’s word to strengthen and restrengthen us in our faith. This is one reason it is important we read and study the scriptures every day. This world bombards us with lies. This world ridicules us and our faith. Satan and our own fleshly desires distract us from the truth. We need God’s word and His Holy Spirit to stand strong against these forces of falsehood. We need to know God’s truth and to be reminded and reassured of God’s truth every day. That includes being reminded of how God has acted in history, especially that He told us by Isaiah and all the prophets what He was doing to do through Jesus Christ. Then in due time, He did it and shall do it.
Our faith is not blind faith. Our faith not some “leap in the dark.” The Faith is based on how God has acted in history for all to see.
Let us follow the good example of the Ethiopian official and rejoice in the Faith and share that holy Faith with others in both word and deed.
Let us pray.
Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.