Tag: The Kingdom of God

Edersheim on the Sermon on the Mount

The following quote about the Sermon on the Mount is from Alfred Edersheim’s book “The Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah”.

“Its great subject is neither righteousness, nor yet the New Law (if such designation be proper in regard to what in no real sense is a law), but that which was innermost and uppermost in the mind of Christ – the Kingdom of God. Notably, the Sermon on the Mount contains not any detailed or systematic doctrinal, nor any ritual teaching, nor yet does it prescribe the form of any outward observances. This marks, at least negatively, a difference in principle from all other teaching. Christ came to found a Kingdom, not a School; to institute a fellowship, not to propound a system. To the first disciples all doctrinal teaching sprang out of fellowship with Him. They saw Him, and therefore believed; they believed, therefore learned the truths connected with Him, and springing out of Him. So to speak, the seed of truth which fell on their hearts was carried thither from the flower of His person and life …. It is Christ, then, as the King, who is here, flinging open the gates of His Kingdom. ” (Alfred Edersheim, The Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah (Grand Rapids: Eerdman; 1967) Vol. I, pp. 52.)

The Church and the Armor Of the Messiah

Our brother Chris Carmichael has written an excellent article based on some of the themes we have seen over the years at Heritage and the desire that we have been burdened with especially of late.  Please read Are We Still the Body of Christ Without the Full Armor of God? at the Sacred Sandwich website.

May the reading of his article compel us all to seek for the Kingdom of Heaven!

Acts 8: The Eunuch from Cush

Up to this point in Acts, we have seen the Gospel of Jesus Christ bring salvation to numerous people at a time.  It has demonstrated to us that the Kingdom of God is expanding and the grace of God is active through the Holy Spirit.  Now, the Scripture focuses upon three accounts of individuals, starting with the African Eunuch in Acts 8:26-40.

Who is the eunuch?

In the title of the post, I have called this man the Eunuch from Cush.  In the post so far, I referred to him as the African Eunuch.  Most biblical texts call him the Ethiopian Eunuch.  Why?  The Greeks referred to the people of Cush as Ethiopians.  However, this is not the same as modern Ethiopia.  It was simply their word for the Cushites.  In the Old Testament, the people of Cush are referred to often.  They are important in biblical history.  However, even though the Hebrew text is consistent and every reference to this people and their land references “Cush” (or “Cushites” for the people), our English translations are very inconsistent.  English Bibles will often use Ethiopia in the translation of the Old Testament even though this term was never used in the Hebrew text!  There is no apparent rhyme or reason why English translators choose Cush in some places and Ethiopia in others.  The NIV even translates this word as ‘Nubia’ once.  J. Daniel Hays addresses this issue in his excellent book, “From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race” in the New Studies in Biblical Theology set edited by D. A. Carson.  For the modern reader, we must think of this land and people as black Africans.  This will help us understand the racial significance that the Bible presents to us. The eunuch is a court official of Candace, the queen of Cush.  He is a trusted man of great importance as he is in charge of all of her treasury.

Yet in spite of his great importance and elevated position, we find him here in our text venturing the long and dangerous journey to Jerusalem to worship the true God.  As an African Eunuch, he does not have full access in Jewish worship.  He is limited to the Court of the Gentiles and is not considered able to participate fully in worship.  On this road as he travels, he is studying in Isaiah, specifically we know he is looking at the text around Isaiah 53 in our modern Bibles.

I believe it is very important for us to consider what he was doing.  He was not simply reading the Scriptures because it was a good thing to do.  I do not even think that he was reading the Scriptures to become a better man.  I believe that he was desperately searching the Scriptures because he was thirsting for the answer to his plight!  I think he is more desperate for the Messiah than those in Jerusalem.

The work of the Gospel

Our text records for us how the Holy Spirit is directing all of this.  In Acts 8:26, the angel of the Lord told Phillip to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza.  Then in 8:29-30 the Holy Spirit speaks to Phillip and tells him to go to that man and join him in his chariot.  Some people object to the doctrine of election and accuse the Bible of being unloving.  But my friends, do you not see the sovereign love and grace of God that he would send Phillip down this dusty road to rescue this man from his sins?  How marvelous is the sovereign grace of God!

Now we see the conversation of Phillip and the African Eunuch.  The eunuch asks Phillip about Isaiah 53:7-8 and asks specifically, “Of whom does this speak?”.  A study of the text shows that Isaiah 53 describes the Messiah who is a tender shoot who bore the grief and carried the sorrow of his people.  But the two verses that the eunuch enquires about are not focused upon the atoning work of the Messiah.  They are focused upon the injustice that occurred to the Messiah and the shocking nature of the generation that witnessed it!

The Messiah was led like a sheep to slaughter.  Who led him?

His justice was taken away from him.  Who took it?

The text asks the question.  “in his humiliation justice was denied him.  Who can describe his generation?  For his life is taken away from the earth”  (ESV).

Notice the way the Amplified Bible puts it: “In His humiliation He was taken away by distressing and oppressive judgment and justice was denied Him [caused to cease].  Who can describe or relate in full the wickedness of His contemporaries (generation)?  For His life is taken from the earth and a bloody death inflicted upon Him.”

“Please tell me!” the eunuch cries!  He is desperate to know because he wants to experience the feet of him who brings this good news and who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, as Isaiah foretold.  Phillip then answers his question and preaches Jesus to him.  We see the beautiful conversation in Acts 8:35-39.  Jesus is the promised Messiah.  Salvation has come to all who will repent and believe.

To add another dimension of beauty to this narrative and to understand another theological point, our eyes must continue gazing in Isaiah a few chapters beyond chapter 53.  Surely the interest of the African Eunuch, who ventured from Cush to Jerusalem in order to worship the true God – but was held at a distance – would thirst for the days of the fulfillment of Isaiah 56:1-8.  Isaiah foretold of the days of the New Covenant.  In the glorious New Covenant, God promises to exalt the eunuchs who were formerly kept far off from God!  The eunuchs will be exalted as better than the physical descendants of Israel! (Isaiah 53:3-6)

The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Work of Jesus

There are more remarkable things for us to find in this passage.  Luke makes it clear that the New Covenant brings the “far-off ones” near to God (salvation) and makes them the sons of Abraham.

Consider the following texts:

Luke 1:54-55: He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Luke 1:72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham…

Luke 2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.

So in these passage we see the New Covenant work of Jesus to rescue the remnant of Israel and from the Gentiles as well.  But now look in Luke 24:13-32 and notice the similarities to Acts 8.

- Jesus encounters men on the road (Phillip is sent to meet the eunuch on the road).

- They were hoping that Jesus was the “One who was going to redeem Israel” (The Eunuch is enquiring who is the One who would redeem Israel)

- The men on the road saw the wickedness of their own Chief Priests and rulers (The passage in Isaiah wonders at the wickedness of those who led the Messiah to death and took His justice from Him)

- Then, beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, Jesus explained to them the things concerning Himself according to the Scriptures (Phillip did the same thing!)

- Then Jesus vanished from their site (Phillip was whisked away by the Spirit)

The similarities between the two passages are astonishing!  What does it mean though?  I believe it means this: the New Covenant is extending beyond the men of Israel, just as the prophets foretold.  The message of Jesus is continuing through the work of the Holy Spirit through believers.  As Jesus foretold, His disciples would do greater (in extent) things than he through the work of the Spirit.  The Kingdom is expanding as Jesus reigns at the right hand of God!

In J. Daniel Hays’ book mentioned above, he writes, “Although we do not know what happened to the Cushite official, it is clear that by the fourth century AD Christianity was firmly established in his homeland of Cush…It is clear that the African experience with the gospel can hardly be relegated to seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth-century encounters with European slave traders and missionaries, as is sometimes alleged.  From the very beginning of Christianity there were Black believers.”

May God be praised that the Gospel has gone forth by the Holy Spirit and that His mercy has rescued us from our sins and blessed us with every spiritual blessing!