READINGS ON THE SPIRIT (3)
[p. 303] READINGS ON THE SPIRIT (3)
JT Yesterday afternoon we considered the Spirit in chapter 5, seen there as active in the assembly, Ananias being charged with lying to Him. We were encouraged, I believe, in looking into the matter of discipline exercised in the assembly and the result of it in the apostles being brought into greater evidence; “but of the rest durst no man join them” (verse 13), but multitudes believed and were added. It was as if the attack had failed, the presence of the Spirit being recognised as in the assembly, fortifying it.
Now chapter 8 brings Him in in a very distinctive way, acting personally in relation to those who serve, especially those who preach the gospel. The Spirit in verse 29 speaks directly to Philip as having been already directed by an angel. In the earlier part of the chapter he is seen as serving with no form of direction mentioned, but later he is seen as directed by an angel, and in verse 29, by the Spirit: “the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot”. Philip immediately responded and ran. It would seem as if progression in acceptance is needed with him, so that finally he is seen as “caught away” by the Spirit, as if peculiarly liked by the Spirit in his service. This comes in in what we may call the Stephen section of the book, a section affording much pleasure to God, because of men who developed in it and purchased to themselves a good degree. They made themselves extremely acceptable. Stephen and Philip are outstanding. The lesson would be how the second attack which was made had been met. Certain persons were neglected in the daily ministrations: “But in those days, the disciples multiplying in number, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews because their widows were overlooked in the daily ministration” chapter 6: 1. This was another working [p. 304] of the flesh in the assembly, but the position is clearly consolidated again through Stephen’s faithfulness. The apostles arrange deaconship, so that the attack is effectively met, and as I said, one great result is seen in these men, Stephen particularly, and then Philip. The section ends in chapter 8: 40. And then the attack through Saul is narrated, also his conversion, following which it is said, “The assemblies then throughout the whole of Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9: 31). It is as if the Holy Spirit is especially seen as comforting, exemplifying the import of the word that is related to one of His names — the Comforter. This section is full of this thought, the Holy Spirit as here in a personal sense in regard to service, especially that of evangelists, and then coming in to comfort after the assemblies had been disturbed by the attack of Saul. So that the assemblies, we are told, were increased.
The application now, of course, would be to the gospel service, of which there is great need, and in which there is considerable ability too. It is as if there is an incentive here to acquire a fuller knowledge of the Spirit, for He shows special interest in those who preach the gospel, and do it in a subject way; as Philip, who began first according to his own desire and ability without any special commission, and then qualified so that the angel noticed him; then the Spirit of God Himself spoke to him, personally directing him, finally rapturing him. There are three Persons in the Trinity, to whom we are baptised. We are baptised to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We usually stress the Father and the Son, but it is necessary to bear in mind that the Spirit has affections too, and interests. We read of the love of the Spirit and the communion of the Spirit, and it is especially interesting in the service [p. 305] of the gospel to become acquainted with Him in this individual way.
JD Would there be a touch of the governmental ways of God in bringing this man from Ethiopia to a sphere where the Spirit of God was operating?
JT It is remarkable that the evangelist, for such he is, is said to join him in his journey. What a wonderful man he is! This great servant is sent there first by an angel, and then directed by the Spirit as he comes near. The eunuch had been up to Jerusalem and apparently did not come into contact with the brethren, but it was his own want of attention to what was there, because there had been great activity among christians. However, he came into contact with Philip.
ANW Would it be right to infer that a vessel is so pleasurable to the Spirit that He Himself uses that vessel as a vehicle to convey the word?
JT Heaven now has a special man, but the Holy Spirit is given particular prominence because of the increasing evangelical features and results that are developing, and is viewed as possessing first-hand knowledge of everything. A fact to be noted, too, is that the Holy Spirit did not seal Philip’s converts immediately; none of them received the Spirit immediately. When the question came up, the apostles at Jerusalem took the matter in hand and sent down Peter and John, and they prayed for them that they should receive the Spirit. Then Simon said he would like to buy that power; he would degrade the Spirit. That certainly was an attack, but it was met by Peter in a solemn and overwhelming way. And heaven honours Philip now, the angel directing him to go down to the desert. He did it without a question. Immediate obedience in those who serve is called attention to; and then the Holy Spirit directs Philip.
AEH Is there anything significant in the fact that he is one of seven who were selected from a quarter [p. 306] where there had been murmuring? He was one of the group from which the murmuring arose, so that there seems to be a suggestion that these men being full of the Holy Spirit would themselves be free from the element of murmuring in that quarter. Some of them were Hellenistic Jews, were they not?
JT They were not local Jews, but from Greece, or others who spoke Greek, a sectional matter, but the Holy Spirit still had control in the assembly. These men were full of Him. The Spirit is in control, and so much in control that Stephen develops into a great martyr and Philip into a great evangelist. Stephen becomes a victim of the hostility of the Jews — the first martyr. So that we are in a section of the greatest interest. The apostles are very little in it, save to go down to Samaria and confirm Philip’s work; it is developed directly by the Spirit.
JWD It would seem as if the Lord took the initiative in this. There is the angel of the Lord first. Is this the way the Holy Spirit operates in connection with the Lord’s service?
JT It is more suggestive of distance, I think, that the angel should direct one. The Spirit is here really in relation to the gospel, which, as Peter says, is preached to you “by the Holy Spirit sent from heave”, but here the angel is active. It would seem as if there is some distance, something that has to be corrected, because the Spirit immediately speaks to Philip when he is in the place to which he was sent. Immediate obedience is the point.
JD Do you think the angel would have in mind what is said in Acts 8: 13, relative to Simon? “Simon also himself believed; and, having been baptised, continued constantly with Philip”. It would look as if Philip was lacking in spiritual discernment not to see the kind of man this was. The next step brings in the angel of the Lord, suggesting distance and a need to obey.
JT [p. 307] It looks that way. There was something questionable there, but it was corrected. It looks as if Philip is a type of younger men who have no special commission, and yet have ability and are proving their ability; but the result does not go the whole length of what God is doing, it comes short. There is a difficulty somewhere. Other things, of course, might be said as to Samaria’s rivalry of the Jews. In any case, Philip was in a somewhat questionable position; this man Simon kept on, and Philip did not seem to detect that he was unreal.
RWS So that the next great man that Philip meets he does not leave until he introduces him to another world and the Man who fills that world.
JT Yes. Here he does not speak of “the Christ”, but of “Jesus”. In Samaria he preached “the Christ” and his service was accompanied by power. It says, “And Philip, going down to a city of Samaria, preached the Christ to them; and the crowds with one accord gave heed to the things spoken by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he wrought. For from many who had unclean spirits they went out, crying with a loud voice; and many that were paralysed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8: 5 - 8). Then Simon is introduced and he also believed: “But when they believed Philip announcing the glad tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women. And Simon also himself believed; and, having been baptised, continued constantly with Philip”, verses 12, 13. Did Philip go down into the water with him? Later he did with the eunuch, and the Holy Spirit caught him away after that. It would seem as if the Holy Spirit specially liked his way in his service to the eunuch; as if Philip was being perfected in his service.
TS Do you think it is important that distance is not conveyed in the Spirit’s work? “Approach and join this chariot”, the Spirit says to him. Distance from the convert must be removed. The Spirit was indicating to Philip that nearness to one to be helped is a necessary feature, he was to join the eunuch.
JT Yes. It is said that he was reading the prophet Esaias. It does not say that Simon was reading any prophet, or the Scriptures at all; his business was detrimental. It is said that he was in the city using magic arts and astonishing Samaria, saying that himself was some great one. The eunuch was not saying or thinking anything like that. Evidently he was a good subject. Why did he not come in contact with the brethren in Jerusalem? Evidently he did not, and yet the Scriptures had a place with him and he is noting that they speak of a Man. “And the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment has been taken away, and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth”. Then he says immediately to Philip, “I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other?” He was interested enough to read Isaiah 53 and to note what was said about the Sufferer. There is nothing like that with Simon. He would not read Isaiah 53; it would not interest him. He was occupied with his own greatness, whereas the Messiah, Jesus, as on earth was a Sufferer. The eunuch noticed this. He had never heard such a description of a man before, nor could there be any such description of any mere man; never was there such save the Lord Jesus, there was no life before or after like this.
WL Do you think this would also come in as help and instruction to Philip himself?
JT I am sure it was a help to him. If in such circumstances the preacher is not helped there is [p. 309] defectiveness in him. The preacher surely should be partaker of whatever blessing there may be. Did he ever use the prophet Isaiah in his preaching in Samaria? If it was now suggested to him for the first time, you may be assured he never lost sight of it afterwards.
WL I was wondering if it might be possible to preach the glad tidings just as a matter of gift, without recognising the Holy Spirit? Here Philip is brought to recognise the Holy Spirit and the One of whom the Spirit would speak.
JT No doubt the Spirit affected him in directing him to join the chariot. We may be sure his evangelisation was in the power of the Spirit now.
JD Do you think he is a true son of Abraham at this point? I like what you say about his obedience. Abraham went out not knowing whither he went: “By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out into the place which he was to receive for an inheritance, and went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11: 8). The angel did not tell Philip about the Ethiopian, he simply said, “Rise up and go southward on the way which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza: the same is desert. And he rose up and went”. The angel just gave him directions where to go. The moral element would enter into it; he arose and went and found the Ethiopian.
JT That is right; the angel’s part suggested the providential circumstances of the servant. Sometimes servants have to change their businesses on account of circumstances and that is providential, and they can be used in the new field. But usually our changes in business are grounded on personal gain. The service of the Lord is hardly first in such circumstances; the angel of the Lord could not take on that. Here it is desert, nothing at all to minister on natural lines, and I am sure that it was pleasing to God that Philip went unquestioningly.
AB How would the Spirit speak thus to one?
[p. 310] Does it involve a state of sensitiveness on the part of Philip?
JT I should think so; the Holy Spirit could address him. There would not be anybody else there. He was by himself, but indwelt by the Spirit, and the Spirit would speak to him in that way.
SRMcC The eunuch admitted that he did not understand and that he needed someone to guide him. Would that be the work of the Spirit?
JT It is a very good sign. He would not join the modernists and the higher critics. Notice too that he is from Ethiopia, which is remarkable; he is of the race of Ham. Would that be any check to Philip? He is evidently a great man, sitting in his chariot — his own not the queen’s. Also he is an affable sort of man, and does not resent a stranger approaching him. It says, “And Philip, running up, heard him reading”. Evidently Philip was quiet, not flustered or afraid. What caught his ear was the reading of the prophet.
RA Would you say he was not only in the good of Isaiah 53, but acting according to Isaiah 55: 1, 6? “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters;” and “Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near”.
JT No doubt he had the Spirit’s word. The point here is immediate contact with the Spirit, how the Spirit can direct us.
JWD Perhaps we have been considering too exclusively for the Lord’s personal service in connection with the preaching of the gospel. You suggest that we take account of the Holy Spirit too, objectively?
JT Just so. That is what is seen here. The Holy Spirit is speaking directly to Philip. Why not be exercised about referring to Him? It is quite right to refer to the Lord, but the Spirit answers too; He is here and speaks directly to Philip and then catches him away. It is a remarkable thing that He caught [p. 311] him away.
JTJr Does verse 16 show that the Spirit does not act automatically? “For he was not yet fallen upon any of them”. He acted Himself, not in an automatic way.
JT Quite so. He takes His own time. “And the apostles who were in Jerusalem, having heard that Samaria had received the word of God, sent to them Peter and John; who, having come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for he was not yet fallen upon any of them, only they were baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus”, verses 14 - 16. The allusion there is to the action at Pentecost, and is in keeping with chapter 10 where the same form is used in verse 44. He is acting, as it were, Himself, but He had not done it at Samaria and that is a remarkable thing. Why was it so?
TAT Do you think the Holy Spirit fell on the eunuch?
JT Scripture does not say. We are in the section of lovableness, the section in which the Spirit is affected by what is transpiring. Personalities are in view, and He is showing what a place Philip had acquired with Him. I think God would expect us to read, as it were, between the lines. John says of the things which Jesus did, “the which if they were written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself would contain the books written” (John 21: 25). But all that is needed is there. We have to learn; as relying on the Spirit, to understand and enlarge on them. The mind of God is thus apprehended in them. In this section the Holy Spirit is peculiarly in charge, watching things, and we may be sure He would not delay in sealing the eunuch any more than the Samaritans. In due course, the Spirit was received by those among them who had believed, and we may assume that the eunuch received Him also. He was a lone believer going back to his own country and remarkably well attended to so far; and thus we may be assured that he was sealed by the Spirit in the [p. 312] perfect ordering of God. He would be taken up and linked on with the great work that was proceeding at that time. The spiritual suggestion is that as Philip was taken away from him the Spirit took charge of him.
WL Do you think the thought of rejoicing would indicate that he had received the Spirit.
JT I do.
AEH I had supposed that one was to get his directions from the Lord and that he was to utilise the Holy Spirit in the way of power to answer to the Lord’s directions. Now you speak of the Spirit being in charge. This is a rather new thought to me. Would you say something about how one is to distinguish between directions from the Lord and directions from the Holy Spirit?
JT It is not easy to define, but it is clear that the Spirit spoke of Himself in the statement that “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (Acts 16: 7). How did He convey to them that they were not to preach in Asia? And then a man of Macedonia appeared to Paul, and Paul uses the word “concluding” in connection with his request. “And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go forth to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings”, verse 10. Here there is no “concluding” at all; it is definite, as if another Person spoke to him: “the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot”. Notice the words, there must have been some distinct articulation. Why cannot the Spirit do that? “For we do not know what we should pray for as is fitting, but the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8: 26).
AB Do you think that as hearing the inquiry in verse 31, Philip is assured in his own soul that there is One who is available?
JT Yes. He does not hesitate, he becomes a guide at once, and the position becomes adjusted. The eunuch [p. 313] begged Philip to come up and sit with him. This great matter has to be talked over in a sitting posture, Philip and the eunuch in the same position. Philip hears him reading and inquires as to whether he understands and the eunuch says, “How should I then be able unless some one guide me?” He wished to have a guide, and that comfortably; if you want to be helped make the person that is to help you comfortable. That is a good point. If the person is to help you, do not let him stand on the step of the chariot, invite him in. That is what the eunuch did, showing that he was a subject of the work of God; he begged Philip to come up and sit with him. We are told what the passage of the Scripture was, and then the eunuch answering Philip said, “I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other?” Everything is now arranged for Philip to speak without distraction. It is clear that God was arranging the matter. It is arranged divinely that this man should be actually reading the Bible at that particular time; and then Philip’s movements are arranged, first by the angel and then by the Spirit of God Himself in view of his joining him. The whole matter is evidently from God and hence the result.
WL Do you think the facts given would suggest a certain affinity between the preacher and any who are to believe the glad tidings?
JT It is a great matter in helping men, to remember that they are men, and that you are related to them in that way; they are always to be regarded abstractly according to the relation in which they stand to God. The word of the Lord to the apostles was, “Go into all the world”, — that is a hostile scene — “and preach the glad tidings to all the creation” (Mark 16: 15). Abstractly, each of us is one of these. So that the Lord says to Job about the Behemoth, “See now the behemoth, which I made with thee: he eateth grass as an ox” (Job 40: 15). I made him with you, God says. That is, these cattle [p. 314] were made on the same day as Adam and furnish a link between domesticated cattle and man, so that abstractly the preaching of the gospel should be to man as fellow-creatures, not as opposers or enemies. It is as Paul says, “for in him we live and move and exist”, (Acts 17: 28). Thus we are alongside of them. The eunuch made the way for Philip to thus draw near, and Philip did not hesitate; he sat down with him and took the opportunity given to explain the scripture, and he was helped by the Spirit of God.
ANW Mr. Darby’s note to that word “Ethiopian” is, ‘Literally, a man, an Ethiopian’.
JT That is important.
AB Philip may have been looking for features of bondmanship in the eunuch in connection with his being a descendant of Ham. Bondmanship was evident in Philip; he was serving the man in relation to the glad tidings.
JT The Spirit says, “God is one, and the mediator of God and men one, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2: 5). It is a matter of God and men; whatever the race, they are all for God.
Ques Would you say all this should encourage us to be available to men, to be on the look-out for them; not necessarily publicly preaching the gospel, but going after the individual, especially in the days in which we are living?
JT Quite so. You would not view anyone as necessarily hostile, but speak to a man as a man, a creature of God. Your circumstances are better than his and you would like him to come into them. Peter says to Cornelius, “I myself also am a man” (Acts 10: 26).
JC I was wondering whether the direction of the Lord in connection with the preaching of the gospel would be found more in the Scriptures, and the direction of the Spirit would be more in the line of promptings.
[p. 315] I would take my directions therefore from the Scriptures, the Spirit prompting in that way.
JT Here the Scriptures are an evidence that it is the Spirit who directs Philip to join the man, and the point is that he is reading them.
EF Is not a question serviceable? Philip asks a question and then the eunuch does.
JT Philip asks a question first as to what he read, and then we are told what he was reading. Verse 32 is the writer of the book telling us: “the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in the presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth”. This is what Luke tells us by the Spirit of God, a quotation from the Septuagint, according to the Note, not from the Hebrew. When the narrative is finished the eunuch says, “I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other? And Philip, opening his mouth ...” That is a remarkable verse, as if his time had come, and he started to enter on his spiritual service. Then he, “beginning from that scripture, announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him;” an excellent model in our service, not simply to exhaust a particular passage we may read, line by line, word by word. We should not read much in our preaching and ministry. We begin with something, and then the Holy Spirit adds and helps us to bring in other things if we give Him scope, things we had not thought of.
AB Does Philip have this in mind when he asks the question, “Dost thou then know what thou art reading?”
JT Yes, it is well put. He asks the question at the start, but is not going to confine himself to that. It is an excellent scripture for the moment. We are not told what scriptures he used in Samaria, but here it is definitely about “Jesus”. Therefore it covers the Ethiopian, the Hamite. It is a question [p. 316] of man.
AEH Is that one of the reasons why you do not use many Scriptures because you thus leave more scope for the Holy Spirit?
JT You may be hampered by too many Scriptures. You may want to get them all in. You are not preaching the Scriptures, you are preaching Christ, or Jesus. If you have too many you may not be able to treat all of them enough.
TS Obedience to the Spirit’s word would be like gathering up substance before opening the mouth. Philip would be gathering substance as he went along. Before we go to preach we should be exercised to have something, some substance in the soul.
JT Philip had. The position in the chariot is clear. If you change the chariot to a house, or an office, with a person whom you would serve, it means that you make allowance for him. Give him some scope. It is not all your matter, it is a matter between you. So let him show himself, whether he is hostile, or whether he is ready for what you have to say. It is a matter of two persons instead of one. A man is a creature of God with reason and intelligence, which God has given him, and you recognise that.
ANW Here one man shows evidence of new birth and the other has the Spirit indwelling him.
JT To whom am I going to speak? What is he? Let him say something. We shall see more of this in the case of Cornelius. God is not telling us that He had to do with this man before, but there is something in him that is observable. The first point is that he is reading the Scriptures. If I went into a man’s office and found him doing that, it would be a fine start. God over-rules such matters, so that we shall know what to do. One great point in a Levite is to know how to do things, and Philip knew.
JD What place has the mind of the Levite in relation to the [p. 317] Spirit?
JT He must have a mind, or he cannot be a vessel.
JD A vessel is usable. Does the Spirit work through the mind?
JT Surely. The idea of a vessel goes back before conversion. If God intends a man to be a servant of His He has him in mind before he is born; He goes a long way back into history in view of the man being what He intends him to be. So that the kind of mind he enters into it, and all the features. God takes account of them all, and indeed provides them. When the Spirit said to Philip, “join this chariot”, He was not telling him what to say. It is a question of preliminary arrangements, which we should always keep in mind; how far back preparation can go. The angels “prepared themselves” to serve (Revelation 8: 6). This is all preparatory, and preparation is an important matter. The Spirit told Philip what to do; He spoke to him in regard to his physical movements, which implied that he had a mind, and knew what the Spirit meant. He ran, it says; that is to describe the vessel.
AB Is this a question of the Spirit managing our affairs?
JT That is the point we are getting at here, His management in a superintending way. We are to learn to be spiritual. He speaks to us through our minds. If He says, Join yourself to that chariot, it may be that the chariot is going fast; but it will have to slow down. The Spirit did not tell Philip to run, but he knew well enough that he had to run; and he had his ears ready to hear what was going on in the chariot. If there were two persons talking about politics, or the newspapers, or magazines, one would not be encouraged to address them, but this man was reading the Bible.
AB It would be further encouragement to find one inviting you to come into his chariot.
JT This would all be encouraging to Philip. The man was interested in [p. 318] him.
AM Preparatory arrangement goes on before Philip opens his mouth. You were drawing our attention to the appropriate moment at which Philip speaks. Do you think in our eagerness to present the truth there is a tendency to speak before the moment arrives?
JT Quite so. Philip acts as a vessel ought to act. By his mind he understands the speed of the chariot and how to get on to it, and before he actually sits down he is keen enough to notice what is being read. Then he asks this question, he knows what to do. It is all preparatory. It is not simply that I get a Scripture for my address, but I am spiritually prepared, having been to the Lord about it, and I make room for the Spirit before I actually open my mouth.
JTJr Apollos began as a good speaker, eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures. He arrived in Ephesus and was taken aside by Aquila and Priscilla, as in need of certain adjustment. A good speaker might need certain adjustments.
JT Quite so. The wisdom of Aquila and Priscilla is evident too. How skilfully they acted with Apollos! It does not seem as if they spoke to him where he had been preaching. It would not do to talk to a brother like Apollos in the meeting-room with a view to adjusting him. They took him to them. They would, no doubt, take him to their lodgings so that they could have a free hand with him.
RA It says in Isaiah 53: 7, that the Lord “opened not his mouth”. Philip opened his mouth, but the Lord did not open His. He says, “If I bear witness concerning myself, my witness is not true” (John 5: 31). Would this link up?
JT The point there is the sacrificial side of the passage, that He was a Sufferer, led as a sheep to the slaughter. It means that the Lord Jesus did not resent the treatment of His captors. They took Him and led Him to the slaughter, but He was subject, instead of [p. 319] using the sword as one of His disciples did. “Jesus therefore said to Peter, Put the sword into the sheath” (John 18: 11). But the answer to that is in ourselves. Paul says, “For thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we have been reckoned as sheep for slaughter. But in all these things we more than conquer through him that has loved us” (Romans 8: 36, 37). We do not resent the persecution. That is what is meant by the Lord not opening His mouth.
TAT When Philip was at Samaria he understood the Scriptures. Why was his work not perfect?
JT Why was it not? There was the fact. He did not discern Simon, and the Spirit is not seen as acting upon him, or directing him until in the desert. It may be that he needed the experience which the facts stated afforded. At any rate it is clear that as he proceeded he became more and more pleasing to the Spirit in the way he spoke of Jesus. The Spirit Himself presents Jesus: “But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall announce it to you” (John 16: 13, 14). Philip preached Jesus to the eunuch.
JD The opening of the mouth seems to be an important point in divine things. In this regard, do you think Philip answering to the Spirit would be something like the Lord in Matthew 5: 1, 2? “But seeing the crowds, he went up into the mountain, and having sat down, his disciples came to him; and, having opened his mouth he taught them”. The same is said of Peter in Acts 10, and of Philip here.
JT Quite so. And in Acts 15: 7 it is said, “Peter, standing up, said to them, Brethren, ye know that from the earliest days God amongst you chose that the nations by my mouth should hear the word of the glad tidings and believe” — “by my mouth”, as if the believer’s mouth is of special interest to the Spirit.
JWD Peter “stood up” when speaking in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 2.
JT Gift has power whether one stands up or sits down. There is power in it; I believe that is what is meant. An ordinary person could not act like this. Gift is of value to enforce the truth.
JV Does the action of the Spirit go further than the vision in the night? It says, “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a certain Macedonian man, standing and beseeching him, and saying, Pass over into Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16: 9).
JT Yes. It is more direct and nearer to the person addressed.
ANW It is a personal matter. The Spirit would impress Philip in a personal way at this time. He quotes the words. “Approach and join this chariot”. These are the words of the Spirit.
JT Verse 35 says that Philip “announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him”. Doubtless that brought out what Jesus was to him. How long the preaching continued we are not told. And then it is said, “as they went along the way, they came upon a certain water, and the eunuch says, Behold water; what hinders my being baptised?” There is a man who, as going on, is hearing, taking things in and learning. He does not want his life here. The facts given here imply that he would die with Christ in view of living with Him. The Spirit was operating in his heart as the glad tidings of Jesus were being presented to him so that he would die with Him.
SRMcC This would show how much Philip had improved in his preaching. Simon was not prepared for this.
JT No. The eunuch evidently took in the truth, but Simon did not. Simon was baptised, and tried to [p. 321] get power for himself, but he was not changed inwardly, while this man was. He observed water; Philip did not even propose it.
JD The question of baptism is reached. “And he commanded the chariot to stop;” it is not said to have stopped before.
JT It is just as if Philip got on to it in some way while it was going. Now “he commanded the chariot to stop. And they went down both to the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him”, verse 38. We do not know who baptised Philip’s Samaritan converts. Here it is a particular work, and it was done well. They were both under the power of the ministry.
AEH Is there a suggestion that I might preach the Christ and leave out of my preaching the distinctiveness of the heavenly Man which fits in with the service to the Ethiopian? “His life is taken from the earth”, but it did not cease to be; it is heavenly now.
JT The passage really means that it was His life here, what He was here in the uniqueness of that life. There never was a life like it before or since, and never will be. Of course we are brought into a new life with Him which is His present life and state, but what is alluded to in Isaiah is what was here on earth in flesh and blood. There never was another such life. It is taken from earth and it is finished. I mean of course its character including flesh and blood.
AEH Philip did not go so far as to speak of the heavenly Christ to the Ethiopian.
JT I suppose he kept to “Jesus”. Perhaps the passage would convey that he kept fairly well to the text, but enlarged on it, bringing in what happened at Jerusalem, as Peter did in chapter 2, how Jesus was put to death.
AEH Ephesians refers to the sealing of the Holy Spirit, chapter 4: 30. Your suggesting that the Ethiopian [p. 322] must have received the Spirit would involve the full presentation of Jesus.
JT He preached unto him Jesus, the glad tidings of Jesus. How could there be glad tidings unless redemption had been preached? The glad tidings of Jesus involves the gift of the Spirit. Whether Philip announced it in the gospel before I do not know, but a few years ago a good many brethren said that the Spirit of God was not a subject, or part of the gospel at all. Yet the preaching of the gospel involves the gift of the Spirit: “Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2: 38). That is part of the gospel. If Philip spoke of the Holy Spirit the eunuch did not pass that by, nor should I. I want to go the whole way and get all there is in the gospel.
AHP Do you think we should understand the part that the Holy Spirit has in the matter of obeying the gospel, and in the redeemed person? It is evidence of a truly converted soul if a person obeys the gospel and receives the Spirit on the principle of obedience.
JT That helps with what we are saying. God gives the Holy Spirit to those that obey Him, Acts 5: 32. You may be sure the eunuch got the Spirit.
CR It says he was “a man in power”, in verse 27, but in verse 39 it says, “But when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer, for he went on his way rejoicing”.
JT “For he went on his way rejoicing”, notice that. He was not downcast about it; the matter was settled. The Holy Spirit was enough for him. Christianity means that I can get along without a preacher, in that sense.
RWS Is the holiness of the Spirit emphasised in Samaria? There He is called the “Holy Spirit” four times, but when Philip moves into these conditions it is “the Spirit” twice. Is there something in that?
JT There is. Here it is the Person distinctively. In verse 29 “the Spirit said to Philip”, but in verse 39 it is “the Spirit of the Lord;” in the original the article is left out with both Persons. In the latter verse the Lord is brought in. Still, the Spirit is the dominating thought and Philip is raptured, caught away by Him; he is affected physically by the action of the Spirit. So that he is not to be found, and the eunuch is not at any disadvantage, because the facts would show that the Spirit is in the eunuch. We must have the Spirit to come into the gain of christianity. The light would soon fade if we did not have the Spirit. It is remarkable that Scripture says, “for he went on his way rejoicing”. He was occupied with what he had. He could not keep Philip; he could not, even if he wished to, hire him for a chaplain; the point is that he is fully furnished now. The preacher can only go so far; the Spirit goes all the way and makes him in that sense independent.
JTJr It is “his way” now, in verse 39; the individual side is stressed over against “the way” in verse 36. The preacher has to see that there is water in the way when he is preaching.
JT I suppose “his way” would mean that the eunuch is still the minister of the queen. He pursued the same way he had started on, and he is still to be a minister of the queen, but he is to be a christian. That is the point. He is now a righteous man, an independent man, a delivered man, not dependent even on Philip. He would understand; he does not say, Cannot you come along with me? There is nothing of that kind. The Spirit of the Lord is doing something. Philip belongs to Him, not to the eunuch. Philip belongs to the Spirit, and He indicates how pleased He is with him. There is the product of the ministry going off in his chariot, and that way is now to be illuminated by [p. 324] what he has acquired. That is christianity. He has, we may say, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 13: 14.
WL Would that take in our whole responsible pathway?
JT Yes. That is important. “Go thy way”, Daniel 12: 9. You have your matters to attend to, but you are illuminated, set up in a spiritual sense, and the whole position is illuminated. The eunuch would go back to Ethiopia taking the truth of christianity with him; we cannot think for a moment he would be allowed to go back for things to fade away. The Spirit of God would continue with the work.
FRC Is there some parallel in Luke 8: 38? “But the man out of whom the demons had gone besought him that he might be with him. But he sent him away, saying, Return to thine house and relate how great things God has done for thee. And he went away through the whole city, publishing how great things Jesus had done for him”.
JT That is the idea.
TAT Have we evidence to show that a local assembly was started when he got back?
JT We have none. As I was saying, it is a question of reading into the facts, because we know that results would be even greater than are spoken of here. What our brother quoted from the gospel, the Lord telling the man to relate the great things that God had done for him, is the full thought. Christianity is what God has done. As Peter says, “Jesus who was of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power; who went through all quarters doing good, and healing all that were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10: 38).
CR Then “The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35: 1).
JT Quite so. What a delightful time! What [p. 325] the full resulting circumstances of the eunuch’s conversion were, we are not told. Notice this word for, in verse 39; it is a sequential word. It means that he is going independently, fully furnished.
JAT Is this to illustrate a right conversion? Sometimes souls are converted under a poor kind of preaching and they are at a disadvantage all their lives.
JT Yes; they never make good assembly men. Acts 13: 52 says, “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit”. That is what the Spirit of God effects for them; that is normally what is effected. It makes good assembly men. If we are not cheerful and bright amongst the brethren we need help, the Spirit of God would make us cheerful and buoyant. Then I hope we have not forgotten the idea of being caught away. It is a remarkable thing, there is nothing else just like it. The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer, but he “was found at Azotus, and passing through he announced the glad tidings to all the cities till he came to Caesarea”, verse 40. We are not told just how he worked, but we next find him in Caesarea: “And leaving on the morrow, we came to Caesarea; and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was of the seven, we abode with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied” (Acts 21: 8, 9). The Holy Spirit is still there, He has scope in Philip’s house. It is a remarkable family side of things, four virgin daughters who prophesy. Joy and the Holy Spirit had a great place in that house. Philip never would forget that rapture. And then there is the matter of the comfort of the Holy Spirit in regard to the assembly: “The assemblies then throughout the whole of Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9: 31). That is further evidence of sovereign action in view of what the [p. 326] assemblies had been through, a terrible ordeal, the persecution of Stephen and Saul’s attack on the assemblies throughout the whole of Galilee. Now the word is that they “were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit”. That is a very important matter, to see how the Lord comes in, after we go through trial assembly-wise, to comfort us so that we should go in peace.