Jesus, the suffering servant, was revealed to the Ethiopian eunuch as Philip explained the Isaiah Fifty-three passage. Earlier, an angel of the Lord told Philip, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”[1] As Philip obeyed the angel’s voice, he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, who was reading from the Book of Isaiah, the prophet.
The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home when he met Philip. As the Holy Spirit guided Philip, he asked the man if he understood the passage. Acts 8:31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. [2]
The Suffering Servant
The Ethiopian eunuch had read the passage about the suffering servant but did not understand what he was reading. Acts 8:32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” [3]
Isaiah fifty-three is a clear passage from the Old Testament that paints the picture of the suffering of Jesus on the cross for our sins. John the Baptist named what Jesus would become. John 1:29“Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world![4] The passage from Isaiah presents the heart of the Gospel message where the innocent servant dies as a sacrifice for sin. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, a priest sacrificed an innocent animal for the guilty sinner. Jesus, both God and man, would be that sacrificial lamb that died for our sins on the cross.
The Humble Servant
Paul gives us insight into the passage of the suffering servant. Philippians 2:6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. [5]
The Lord’s sacrifice for us to save us from our sins is the greatest gift we will ever receive and not something we deserve. It is only through His grace that God extends the gift of salvation. We could not pay the price for our sins, so the Lord had to pay the price for us. As believers, we can be thankful for what Jesus did and that He rose from the dead. The Good News of Jesus transformed the heart of the Ethiopian, as Philip taught. Let the Lord transform your life through the message of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus.
To learn more about Jesus the suffering servant, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/philip-and-the-ethiopian
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.