It was the hottest
midday in Gaza and the sunburnt
in the sky in all his fury. Rarely
anyone would venture to travel to Gaza, the desert at that hour of the day. But
during that hot midday, a large,
richly laden caravan and a stately
furnished chariot carrying a great man of authority, who was in charge of all the treasure of the queen of Ethiopia was
traveling along the road to Gaza. He had come all the way from Ethiopia to worship the God of the Hebrews at Jerusalem traversing over thousand
six hundred miles on
road when in the Roman
world the average
distance that people would travel on road was just twenty miles a day.
This speaks volumes about his untiring pursuit in search of truth.
However, his visit to Jerusalem Temple did not make any difference in his life. At the Temple,
he found only ceremonies, sacrifices, and rituals; but not eternal life. So, he was heading back to Ethiopia
through the desert, which pictures the spiritual thirst of his soul. But he continued to cling to the Word of God.
At
that very hour, God said to Philip, one of His servants, "Arise and go
toward the south unto the way that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is a
desert”. And Philip hasted to Gaza without a moment's hesitation; and behold
there was the Ethiopian eunuch, sitting in his stately chariot reading from the
prophetic book of Isaiah chapter fifty-three. When Philip drew near, he heard
the Ethiopian reading, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and a Lamb dumb
before His shearer, so opened He not His mouth: in His humiliation, His
judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth”. The passage gives a graphic
presentation of the Messiah's
sufferings and His vicarious death on the cross for the salvation
of man.
Philip
joined him in his chariot at his request, opened his mouth and began at the
same Scripture, and preached to him Jesus (Acts 8:35). Jesus Christ is the
fulfillment of Isaiah chapter fifty-three. We all have sinned and are heading
towards eternal hellfire. Because of our sin, none of us can
merit eternal life through our own efforts or good deeds. But the Lord Jesus, to satisfy God's
holy justice, out of His love for
us, became our substitute and bore the penalty we deserve and died on the cross.
Jesus bore God's
wrath on the cross and shed His precious blood for the remission of our
sins. He rose again from the grave, ascended to heaven, and is seated
on the right hand of God.
He will soon
return to take
us unto Himself.
The Ethiopian heard the true way of
salvation and confessed, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” He thus
received the Lord
Jesus as his Lord and Saviour then and there publicly
confessed Him, and experienced newness of life. His desert experience has turned into a
paradise experience when Christ came into his life and he went on his way rejoicing!
Dear reader, do you have the assurance of salvation in your
heart? Are your sins washed
by the blood of the Lord
Jesus, shed for
the remission of your sins?
If not, come to the Lord
Jesus Christ right
now, confess your sins to Him, and be washed
by His precious blood and be saved!
- by Nadesan K.
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