Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 22:25-31, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8.
(A) THE ETHIOPIAN AMBASSADOR.
Acts 8:26-40.
Many centuries ago, long before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah foresaw the suffering of “the Servant of the LORD” in dramatic language which hid nothing of the horror and the power of the vision which was disclosed to him. This same prophecy has been quoted many times in the New Testament, and one such occasion was when the Evangelist Philip was enabled to explain the words to the Ethiopian Ambassador, a worshipper of the LORD in the service of Queen Candace, who was returning from a pilgrimage in Jerusalem.
As was customary, the Ethiopian was reading out loud on the long chariot journey which would take him back to Africa. The Scripture which he read was Isaiah 53:7-8.
Drawing near to the chariot, Philip asked if the reader understood what he was reading. But how could he, without an interpreter? So the traveller asked Philip to join him on the chariot, making the most of the opportunity to tap into the preacher’s expertise.
We must not be afraid to ask questions of those whose mission it is to preach Christ. This encounter changed the life of the Ethiopian forever - he heard of Christ, His mission, His sacrifice, the gift of salvation to all nations, not just Israel.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is to be found in all the Scriptures - the Old Testament and the New Testament. It was from the Old Testament that Jesus taught two men also on a journey from Jerusalem, shortly after His resurrection, and before the New Testament had been written: “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).
Likewise, when Jesus met His disciples later that day, He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms concerning me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44-45).
Of whom was the Prophet speaking? asked the Ethiopian. Was it himself or some other man? From this point, Philip was able to preach Jesus.
The Old Testament passage which was being read on that occasion forms part of a series of songs about the Servant of the LORD in the book of Isaiah. This one begins at Isaiah 52:13-15, with a speech by the LORD in which He praises the wisdom of the Servant in anticipation of the work which He will accomplish. Seeing the end result of the suffering of Jesus before it had happened on the scene of history, the LORD promised that He would be exalted, that He would be worshipped, that He would be lifted high in the estimation of men.
This glorification of Jesus is set against the backdrop of His sufferings, which are immense. The awfulness of pain disfigured His face, causing astonishment and making Him undesirable to the onlookers. Yet through this very anguish, the mockers’ mouths would be shut, causing them to wonder, and many nations would be startled into the realisation of Who He is. Even Ethiopia would soon stretch out her hands to God (Psalm 68:31)!
The Chorus of this Servant Song begins with a lamentation at the lack of faith, “Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1).
The singers bemoan both the extent of His sufferings, and their blindness to recognise Who He is; and they acknowledge that He is the burden-bearer, the only Saviour:
“He is despised and rejected by men:
we hid our faces from Him;
we did not esteem Him.
He was wounded for our transgressions,
and by His stripes we are healed.”
Why does the world, the nations of the world, the people of the world - why do you and I need someone to die for us? It is because we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is death - the awful death of eternal separation from our Lord God (Romans 6:23).
“All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one to his own way.”
What is the solution to our predicament?
“The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
The Evangelist Philip would have been able to show the Ethiopian the meekness of our Lord Jesus Christ, how He went to His death like a lamb to the slaughter. The figure of a lamb is highly significant, as it shows Jesus to be the final sacrifice for sin.
Thus John the Baptist could call out, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
We were the ones who behaved like sheep, following one another into the way that leads to eternal death, but it was Jesus who offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb, dying in our place, and giving us the opportunity to return to the Way of Life.
Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no-one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6).
The Chorus continues to lament the death of Jesus, and His being laid in a rich man’s tomb. This was spoken prophetically many centuries before the man Joseph of Arimathea offered his own tomb for Jesus.
How can we ever rationalise the disaster of man’s rejection of the Saviour of the World? Well, whilst men remain responsible for their own wicked acts, this had been God’s plan all along.
“It pleased the LORD to bruise Him.”
The Apostle Peter spoke of Jesus being delivered “by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God” into the hands of wicked men, who crucified Him (Acts 2:23).
This was the sinless Son of God being put to death for His people. Yet this very death, and the fact that Jesus also rose again from the dead, gives the power by which we can be forgiven our sins, and received into the Kingdom of God.
The Chorus is now silent, as the LORD speaks a second time.
The LORD speaks of the saving power of Jesus, the justification of the guilty through knowledge of Him, His sacrifice on our behalf, His greatness, and the prayer which He has made on our behalf.
“He shall see the labour of His soul and be satisfied.
My righteous Servant shall justify many.
He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.”
Jesus told His disciples before His death: “This which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end” (Luke 22:37).
For the Ethiopian Ambassador, it was enough to hear this wonderful Gospel message. When they came to some water, he asked, “What hinders me from being baptised?”
Philip’s reply applies to any today who may also wish to enter into the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ: “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
To which the candidate replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
The Ethiopian called for the chariot to be stopped, and they both went down into the water, and he was baptised.
It is probable that the Ethiopian never saw Philip again. The opportunity for faith had been accepted without delay, and his life will have been changed forever.
Today, the same message is being preached to you. Will you likewise exercise faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the only saviour of sinners, while you have time and opportunity?
(B) A PARADIGM OF PRAISE.
Psalm 22:25-31.
The details of the sufferings in Psalm 22:1-21 match more exactly the anguish of Jesus than anything that we can find in any of the written records of David’s life - and because of this the church has always read this Psalm of David as a Psalm of Jesus. In this respect Psalm 22 stands alongside Isaiah 53 as a prophecy of the suffering of Messiah.
One of the famous ‘seven last sayings of Jesus on the Cross’ is known as the Cry of Abandonment. It appears to be a verbatim quotation of Psalm 22:1 (cf. Mark 15:34), but in fact the converse is true. It was the Spirit of Jesus that inspired the words that flowed from David’s mouth (2 Samuel 23:1-2).
Whatever deep sense of desolation rocked David into penning these words, his God-inspired prophetic insight reaches far beyond the limits of his own time and experience to the Cross of Jesus – and beyond. Therefore I have called this closing section of the Psalm ‘a paradigm of praise’ - not just because of its content, but especially because of its context.
The first person singular of Psalm 22:1-21 - ‘I’ – switches to persons plural from Psalm 22:22 onward, as the composer looks forward to the day when he will no longer be a stranger in the great congregation (Psalm 22:25). Have we the faith that sees beyond the affliction to its end (Job 23:10), beyond the fight to the victory (Psalm 22:22-24); to praise God in the midst of affliction like Paul and Silas (Acts 16:22-25)? David - and Jesus – envisaged an end to the present tribulation.
The Psalmist calls upon his brethren to join him in celebration of the victory wrought by God, who ‘has not despised the affliction of the afflicted’ (Psalm 22:23-24). The celebration takes the form of a testimonial feast, to which the whole congregation is invited (Psalm 22:25). Those who formerly shared his tears (cf. Romans 12:15), now have opportunity to rejoice with him.
The reference to “the meek” anticipates the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 5:5). Those who seek the LORD are told, “Your heart shall live for ever” (Psalm 22:26). This in turn points to the regeneration accomplished by Jesus: the making alive of those who were ‘dead in trespasses and sins’ (Ephesians 2:1).
Jesus eventually opened the doors of salvation to those outside the family: to the poor and afflicted, and even to strangers beyond the boundaries of Israel (Psalm 22:27-28). This universalisation of the gospel, rightly understood, is the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3).
The keys of death are in the hands of Jesus, and “none can keep alive his own soul” (Psalm 22:29). All the dead shall at last bow down before Him (cf. Philippians 2:10-11). The present celebrants are joining the faithful of former generations in the Church Universal.
They are followed by “a seed” that shall yet serve the LORD (Psalm 22:30), who shall in turn declare His righteousness to a people yet unborn (Psalm 22:31). The gospel extends not only to the ends of the earth, but to the end of the age.
Another of the ‘seven last sayings of Jesus upon the Cross’ is known as ‘the Word of Triumph’: ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). This is a cry of completion, or accomplishment, not unlike the closing words of our reading: “He has done it” (Psalm 22:31).
Perhaps one aspect of ‘taking up our Cross daily and following Jesus’ (Luke 9:23) is that we should do so not just with a cheerful countenance, but also with praise upon our lips. How do we relate to setbacks in our lives? Do we stop praising because of them?
(C) GOD IS LOVE.
1 John 4:7-21.
Every Sunday as I was growing up in Scotland, I would hear the minister of our church repeat these words from the beginning of 1 John 4:7 - “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.”
This is one of the tests of true Christianity. We cannot claim to have the love of God in our hearts, nor can we claim to love God, if we do not love our fellow-believers in Christ. If we love one another, then it is evident that we are true servants of the God of love.
Jesus was once asked, ‘Which is the greatest commandment?’ To which He replied, ‘To love God first, and secondly to love our neighbour as ourselves’ (Matthew 22:35-40).
Love is not just a sentiment, but something which is active. ‘Let us do good to all,’ said the Apostle Paul, ‘especially to those who are of the household of faith’ (Galatians 6:10).
Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another. ‘By this all will know that you are my disciples: if you have love one for another’ (John 13:34-35).
It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. We could almost imagine the neighbours saying to one another ‘See how these Christians love one another.’ Love should always be what marks out Christians from others.
The person who is born of the God of love, the Christian, becomes like Christ in his love towards others. And Christ’s love is a sacrificial love.
There was no limit to the love which God showed us. He sent His only begotten Son into the World to live and to die, and to overcome death for us. The love of Jesus becomes the standard for our love. He who does not love does not know the God of love, for God is love.
Love has its origins not in the heart of man, but in the God of love. This love in God is so great, that He sent His Son into the world in order to make satisfaction for our sins. Jesus was the substitute on our behalf who paid the penalty for all our sins with His own life’s blood.
We receive the love-gift of God’s forgiveness through faith in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the sacrifice of Jesus the righteous God is able to pass over our sins without compromising His justice (Romans 3:25-26).
The beginning and source of our love for God, and for one another, is in the love which God first displayed to us. Sinful human beings will not usually choose to serve God. Those who are Christians know that God first loved us. We did not deserve his love. It was ‘while we were yet sinners’ that ‘Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8). There is no greater manifestation of the love of God.
What evidence might we expect from one who claims to be a Christian? Well, one thing would be the love which he has towards his fellow believers. If Christ died for your sins, then you will love those whom God has loved. We may not see God in His own Person, but where there is love, there is the evidence that someone has been born of the Spirit of God.
There was a man who wished to be accepted into the membership of a certain other church in Scotland, and to partake of the communion of the Lord’s Table. The elders asked him to give an account of his faith, but being a simple man, he could not put it into words. However, the elders knew he was a man of God, and asked if he could say anything at all to convince them that he should be allowed to attend the Lord’s Table?
‘I love the brethren,’ replied the man (1 John 3:14-15).
We see God, not in images and pictures, but in such love abiding in Christian people. If we abide in love, we abide in God, for God is love. The faithful heart rests in God, and in the confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God’s love is perfected in the hearts of His people, and He abides there.
The origin of love is found in God Himself. The demonstration of God’s love is seen in His sending of His Son to die for us. We love God because He first loved us.
God’s love for His people began in the counsels of Eternity, when Father, Son and Holy Spirit determined together to bring salvation to mankind through our Lord Jesus Christ. Believers in Him are said to be ‘chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world’ (Ephesians 1:4).
God so loved the world that, when the fullness of time had come, He sent forth His Son to die on our behalf. By this act, fear was vanquished from the hearts of believers. The torment of our consciences is quietened. The dread of a harsh judgement against us is cast out by the love of God towards us.
If we still live in fear of what the righteous God may do against us for our sins, we have not yet learned to dwell in His love. When we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we find that God’s love is a present reality. And by faith we know that His love will see us safe through to the day of judgement.
It is an amazing experience to travel to different lands, and to meet with Christians from different backgrounds. Wherever the Christian goes, if there is a group of fellow-believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in that place, the visitor is welcomed. We find a kinship which is closer than that of any family. People who never knew each other are at one because of the love of God which they hold in common.
The individual Christian has the love of God dwelling in his soul. In fact, this is the only way that the God of love may be seen: God dwells in His people by the Holy Spirit. Wherever we go, we meet God in our fellow-Christians. We are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. It is a bond of love which has its fountain in God Himself.
The person who says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother is described as a liar. He who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
He who loves God loves his brother also. This is a fact, but it is also a command. ‘This is My commandment,’ says Jesus, ‘that you love one another as I have loved you’ (John 15:12-13).
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God” (1 John 4:7).
(D) THE TRUE VINE.
John 15:1-8.
In Psalm 80:8-16 Israel is poignantly portrayed as a vine which has spread throughout the whole land, only to be torn down, devoured, and burnt at the time of the Exile. The vineyard motif is again taken up in Isaiah 5:1-7, where a moral reason is given for this destruction. Israel had failed God (Jeremiah 2:21), and it was her pastors who were to blame (Jeremiah 12:10).
The vine image was familiar to Jesus’ first disciples. A golden vine adorned one of the gates of the Temple. The symbol was so ingrained in the common psyche of the people that a vine was portrayed on the coins minted during the revolt against Rome which would eventually lead to Judah’s second Diaspora in the year 70 A.D.
In the seventh significant “I am” saying of John’s Gospel, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1), Jesus was identifying Himself with the Messianic “son of man” of Psalm 80:17. Jesus is the true fulfilment of Israel’s mission, and those who are rooted in Him are His ambassadors to a fallen world. The same God who once tended the rebellious vineyard of Israel is now identified as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The vine-dresser now tends to the branches of the true vine. The fruitful He cuts back, so that they might bear more fruit (John 15:2).
We are rooted in the Word of God (John 15:3). We draw our spiritual life from the Lord Jesus Christ just as surely as the branch draws the sap from the root. This is seen both negatively (John 15:4), and positively (John 15:5).
There are some people who become attached to the Church who are not true Christians (1 John 2:19). Such unfruitful branches are cut off once and for ever, and their sad fate is to be destroyed in the fire (John 15:6). It is therefore incumbent upon us all to “make our calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10).
We are nourished by His Word, and cultivate our relationship with Him through prayer (John 15:7). The proof of our Christianity is found not in our words, nor in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but in our possession of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). When we are spiritually fruitful, God the Father is glorified, and we are seen to be the disciples of Jesus (John 15:8).
