"AND WENT ON HIS WAY REJOICING"
How many times do we go on our way rejoicing? What is there to rejoice about in today's world? We mean - genuine rejoicing? Yes, the birth of a child to genuine godly parents who will bring it up to know and love the Lord is agenuine cause for rejoicing. But other causes of rejoicing today seem to occur less and less in the experience of those who genuinely love God and fully accept and serve His Son as their Saviour.
These reflections were prompted by the closing words of today's chapter 8 in Acts. A eunuch, which is a man who dedicates his life to remaining single, had been "to Jerusalem to worship" [8 v.27]; God's Spirit caused Philip to "Go over and join" his chariot. He "ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him." [v.29-31]
We identify the passage in Isaiah quoted in the text here as coming from ch.53 v.7,8. "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." The Eunuch asks Philip to explain this and Philip, "opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus." [v.35] This is a wonderful prophecy of the trial of Jesus made centuries earlier.
When they came to some water, the Eunuch asks, "What prevents me from being baptised?" [v.37] Older versions of Acts then have the words, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." Obviously nothing prevents Philip from baptising him, so "they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. " [v.38,39]
Clearly this baptism was complete immersion, it was only centuries later than an apostate church started to call ‘sprinkling’ baptism. John baptised in the Jordon because “water was plentiful there”[John 3 v.23] This is the best kind of rejoicing there is - it becomes - if we remain faithful, a lifelong rejoicing - a life that continues eternally in God's kingdom.
A final thought - remember the attitude of the disciples we read of in Acts 5! The Jewish council condemned them for preaching about Jesus – but they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name.” [v.41] Let us go on our way rejoicing in every situation in which we are able to truly and faithfully serve our Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment