“This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’ The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:32-35).
Philip was conducting a city-wide revival in Samaria when the Holy Spirit sent him to the desert road leading to Gaza. There he met one man, an Ethiopian eunuch, who was reading Isaiah but didn’t understand what he was reading.
The fact that God interrupted a city-wide crusade to reach one man shows us how important every individual is to God. It would have cost a small fortune for the eunuch to have purchased a scroll of Isaiah. He had come to Jerusalem to worship, was headed home with an expensive copy of Scripture, and was obviously hungry for spiritual truth. This man was also the treasurer of Ethiopia with access to the queen of that nation. When the first missionaries reached Ethiopia they discovered believers were already there. The influence of this man was felt far into the future.
It is significant to me to see the lengths to which God will go to reach one hungry heart. It is also essential to see the value of a Philip who can help clear away confusion and enable a seeker to understand Scripture.
The message hasn’t changed, though, from these early days of the book of Acts. It is still the good news about Jesus and every individual is just as important as the Ethiopian eunuch. I owe a great debt to those who have helped me grasp the message about Jesus. I’m forever grateful for Jesus who provided the good news that changed my life. I never want to forget how valuable just one person is to Him.
