Monday 27 April 2026
- Bible Book:
- Acts
As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptised?" (vs 36-37)
Background
When I first arrived in Norfolk as a Methodist lay worker, I was given some important advice. "Whatever you do," the church steward told me, "Don’t ask Margaret to read the woman at the well story." (John 4:1-42) It was because Margaret had been married three times but was now happily married to her fourth husband.
It was advice intended to spare her embarrassment, but reflecting years later, I felt it only served to make her feel ashamed of her complicated marital history and cement her position as ‘other’ compared to the rest of the congregation. It said that they had chosen their marriage partners well on the whole, while she had made mistakes.
In today’s story we follow the movement of the Holy Spirit as Philip preaches through Samaria and we see the astonishing reception the gospel receives.
The Jews and Samaritans are sworn enemies, but the Spirit of God is determined to reach those ‘othered’ by their skin colour, religion or ethnic origin. The Ethiopian eunuch (who was Jewish either by birth or conversion) ticks many of the ‘othered’ categories. Philip meets him in ‘other’ Samaria, in the middle of nowhere on the desert road which goes down about 60 miles from Jerusalem to Gaza. He has dark skin and he’s been emasculated by castration (for his role in the Queen’s treasury) guaranteeing him exclusion from the Temple in Jerusalem.
Philip hears him reading from Isaiah and after a Bible study and a brief baptismal preparation, this God-fearing eunuch is baptised and goes on his way rejoicing.
Unlike us at times, the Holy Spirit specialises in reaching out to those ‘on the edge’ and when Acts’ first audience hear about the water miraculously found on the desert road, they would recall Isaiah’s words about "water in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:19) and would have been filled with hope at God’s kingdom breaking in.
God's kingdom is a place where no one is excluded because of their ethnic background, colour, education, wealth, class or sexuality. It's a kingdom now firmly on the move, through the Holy Spirit, the gospel and the Apostles to reach the ends of the earth.
To Ponder:
- Which categories of people are ‘othered’ in today’s society do you think?
- How could the Church reach out more effectively to them?
- Is even the language of inclusion/exclusion divisive? How can we avoid this in church and society?
Bible notes author: Sue Moore
Sue Moore is a visiting Anglican preacher on the Methodist circuit in West Norfolk. She is candidating for the role of Distinctive Deacon and together with her husband runs a bereavement support group. They have two greyhounds who keep them fit with plenty of walking.