LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 68

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Testament text clearly says that eunuchs are forbidden to be part
of the Jewish nation.”

The Solution (Healing the Problem)

The Sequence Is Very “Lutheran”

4. A messenger/evangelist proclaims Jesus as the Good News. Showing him how Jesus, the crucified/risen Messiah (promised in
the Isaiah text), is a message both GOOD and NEWS for him
in his own life.

See how the story developed in the following steps:
Step 1: Someone asked the evangelist a religious question. In this
case, it was a very good one about the major “Suffering Servant”
poem of Isaiah. What does this mean? Do you understand what
you are reading?
Step 2: The Gospel is proclaimed (v. 35). Literally in Greek: “Philip
opened his mouth and beginning from this Old Testament text
[which the Ethiopian does not understand] he gospels Jesus to him.”
The Greek is euēngelisato (“Gospel” is used as a verb).
[Note: There is no verb in New Testament Greek for “preach.”
English translations often use the verb “preach” when translating
the two Greek verbs euangelizō and kēryssō. Both of these verbs are
verbs made from nouns—“Gospel” and “message.” So when used
as verbs, they are saying “He gospeled someone,” or “He messaged
the person.” That is how it is here in verse 35. “Gospeling Jesus to
him.” Not just “telling him about Jesus,” but talking about Jesus in
such a way that it comes out as Good News for this specific person.]
Step 3 (using v. 37): He responds with the “faith” verb, pisteuō,
which means “I trust.” And the object of his trust is Christ, the
Son of God. Dr. Martin Luther wrote: “I believe that I cannot by
my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or
come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel,
enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true
faith” (Small Catechism, Third Article).
Step 4: He’s baptized. This is the result of the Divine Author,
God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works through the Word
and Sacraments.
Step 5: Back to Ethiopia, on his way rejoicing.
I wonder if Luke is making a pun on his use of the Greek word
hodos in this text—namely, the “wilderness way” of verse 26. Often in Acts, as you know, “the way” is used as the label for being a
Christian, following Christ as a disciple, reflecting Jesus’ words in
John’s Gospel: “I am the way.” Here the eunuch is on a “wilderness
way” from Jerusalem to Gaza. Even though the NRSV used the
word “road” instead of “way” here, the Greek word is hodos, the
same word when Luke speaks of “the way.” John also used this
phrase several times: Egō eimi hē Hodos.

The Ethiopian Eunuch’s Problem Is a Natural-Man
Problem
1. Coming home from worship, but still “in the wilderness.”
2. Even reading the Old Testament—yes, even the “Suffering Servant” (Gospel) text of Isaiah—but still missing the
message.
3. Wandering in the wilderness for years. Not just on a wilderness
way, but lost in the wilderness. [Note: “lost” is one of Luke’s
favorite words for this deepest diagnosis. See Luke 15 with its
three “lost” parables.] Peter alluded to this, saying we were lost
like sheep without a shepherd.

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2 0 1 3 C o n v e n t io n P r o c e e d i n g s

[Needed is a Savior who rescues the lost.]

5. He trusts that Jesus is “my Lord and my God” and is baptized.
Thus, he is linked to Christ in water and the Word.
6. Back to daily life in Ethiopia. Same place to live and work, but
different person in that “old” same place. “On his way rejoicing.”

What Does This Mean for Us?
1. The wilderness roads of America (wilderness roads where we
Christians too often find ourselves). Missing our mission on
the wilderness road.
2. Even with many religions in America, even Jesus-religion, even
our own LCMS religious life, not seeing the “Suffering Servant”
Jesus as both GOOD and NEWS for our own faith life. Remember
this gentleman did not lack religiosity and works-righteousness.
He traveled from Ethiopia all the way to Jerusalem. Natural eyes
can’t understand the Word of God. We need the Master of the
harvest, God the Holy Spirit, to illuminate His Word and connect
us to Christ through the Word and Sacraments.
3. Missing the message is to be lost ourselves on the wilderness
roads of America. We need to be “missioned” ourselves.
4. Hear it again for ourselves and tell our wilderness-lost neighbors:
The crucified/risen Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost.” He
is GOOD and NEWS for you. He is the Lamb who becomes
our Shepherd.
5. Let us once more trust Christ ourselves and reappropriate our
Baptism, which sends us out. We are baptized for this witness!
6. “On our way rejoicing” as missionaries in America. In the tradition
of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY),
“everybody knows” if you are baptized, you are a missionary.
We’re called to be Philips and Philippas into the wildernesses
where we, too, live. Climb into strange chariots with strange
people in them. Tell them why Jesus is both GOOD and NEWS
for them in their wildernesses. Send them on their way rejoicing.
And then step out of that chariot and climb into the next one
coming down the wilderness road. Yes, strangers who do not
look like us, who have different features and accents, those who
are coming to our schools, our churches, our streets, our cities,
and our lives … they need the Good News! We are baptized for
this moment, to preach Christ crucified alone!
Friends, you are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. Yes, we are truly blessed
to have our Confessions, which always guide us to the true faith
pointing to the Word. Here I cite a portion from the Augsburg
Confession: “Our churches teach that people cannot be justified
before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are
freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe
that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven
for Christ’s sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our
sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight (Romans
3 and 4 [3:21–26; 4:5])” (AC IV, 1–3).
C o n v e n t io n se r m o n s