April 29, 2024

Today's Reading: Acts 8:26-40

Daily Lectionary: Leviticus 21:1-24, Luke 12:1-12

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:35-36)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is one prayer God always answers “Yes” to. That is if you pray that God sends you someone to confess the Gospel to. God always sends someone across your path, so that person can hear, too. Whether they’ve heard it before or not, either way, God is great at putting His people in the right places where His Gospel can be confessed.

Philip comes to the Ethiopian official at God’s prodding. Philip was a public preacher of God’s Word. Hearing the man read from the book of Isaiah, Philip stopped him and asked if he understood it. The man did not. That shows us that you can’t just give a Bible to someone who doesn’t have faith in Christ. He won’t know how to read it. He’ll be confused. He might read Leviticus and think Christians make animal sacrifices. People must be taught. You must be taught. For this reason, God sends you your parents and your pastor. Both are needed for the teaching of the faith to you.

The Ethiopian heard the Gospel that Philip preached, beginning from that Isaiah text. Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners. Like a Lamb before its shearers, so Jesus went before Pontius Pilate and the Jewish leaders silently. Jesus did not try to get out of dying and have someone take His place. He came to take YOUR place, under sin, under death, under God’s wrath. That way, you would be gifted with the opposite - His place, free from sin, rescued from death, and under God’s mercy. He did not want to save Himself. Jesus wanted to save you. That’s why He did not offer any defense before Pontius Pilate to spare His life.

The Holy Spirit worked through the Word and gave the Ethiopian faith in Christ. Philip preached, the Ethiopian eunuch heard, faith was created. Notice that Acts specifically says that Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. And what did this Good News include? After hearing Philip, the Ethiopian wanted to be baptized. This shows us that Baptism is also part of the Good News of Jesus. Baptism is Gospel. Baptism is not some unneeded extra while the Word of Jesus’ death is all that matters. No, Baptism is God’s work for you by Word and water. By Baptism, you are adopted into God’s family, gifted with God’s name, given the Holy Spirit, and have an eternal promise of God’s mercy by that Sacrament. That sounds like Good News to me. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Christ, holy Vine, Christ, living Tree, Be praised for this blest mystery: That Word and water thus revive And join us to Your Tree of Life (LSB 595:5).

- Pastor. Robert Mayes is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Beemer and Wisner, NE.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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