Road to Gaza (part 3)
(As I continue this journey of thoughts and words, I almost feel as if the end of this story may be, somewhat, anti-climatic or leave many readers fogged in mystery, thinking to themselves, “Huh?”
Based on several ancient text, there are a few different thoughts about the man named Philip in the above account. Some readers of this “travelers” story consider Philip to be the “Apostle” Philip. Others believe he was a lesser man, Philip the “evangelist” chosen by the “Apostles” to fulfill the duties of a servant in assisting widows and distribution of food freeing up the Apostles to teach. Two different men or just one man could be debated, I’m sure, until the end of time. Yet, Philip the Apostle according to the testimony of John, was a man who knew the law of Moses and the Prophets.
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
-John 1:43-46
Whichever Philip this was, he knew something about the sacred text, the law, the prophets and the good news of Jesus. He had just finished teaching and preaching Jesus when the Spirit of the LORD told him to head South on a certain road the desert road. I’m not sure how the Spirit communicated this but I doubt he could have ignored it. In listening he ended up on the “road to Gaza” and met another man. Not just any old man, he was a foreigner, wealthy, a eunuch and a Jew.
What I know about this Ethiopian man is this:
A foreigner:
He was also “an important official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.” A friend of mine, Nir Alon, in Israel wrote a wonderful piece with incredible photos about the Ethiopian Jewish faith and culture here. This story helped me realize more about this man who Philip encountered from another country. He was no accidental Jewish believer. Nir’s story helped give flesh to this man for the first time in my life.
Wealthy:
In charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He owned a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. The very fact that he owns his own scripture is a sign of wealth. Without the printing press, hand written scrolls were a luxury which many at the time never had. He also had servants and a chariot.
Eunuch:
Another strange thing included was, well he was… a eunuch. YIKES! Some form of this mutilation in ancient times included the removal of one or both lower male genital parts.) I must assume he was a VERY loyal servant to the queen before she became queen and that she trusted him very much with the wealth of her country.
Jew:
TRAIN WRECK!
This wealthy Jewish foreign man travels from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to the Holy city to worship God and make his sacrifice at the Holy Temple and is now on his way home via the road to Gaza. Run on sentence I know, but there is a problem… This was a Holy set apart place. The worship of the Lord in the temple had rules. The Temple mount is even well guarded today and there is no Temple.
According to the Torah, Deuteronomy 23:1, “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.” also, any “alien who wishes to take part in the passover must be circumcised.”
How could this man find his way into the promises of the Lord? How could this covenant be fulfilled with him since the law set him apart?
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