Where Do We Go From Here

44 A Closer Reading Philip is going about his business, when an angel of the Lord tells him to go to a desert road. He sees a eunuch in a chariot. A eunuch is a man, who as a boy before puberty, has had, at the least, his testicles removed. It was a humiliating and dangerous procedure, often fatal. The eunuch was returning home fromworshipping in Jerusalem, reading Isaiah. The Spirit tells Philip to go up to the chariot. Philip runs up to the chariot and asks, “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip, as does God, comes alongside and listens. The eunuch replies: “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” The respectful approach of Philip begins a conversation. The story continues. “And the eunuch invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.” Christians all too often invite themselves in, barging in with brochures, launching a monologue. We fail to see the deep contradiction between our hostile methods and the hospitable God we want to talk about. How can a God of love and freedom be shoved down someone’s throat? But here, the eunuch, in response to Philip’s respectful attitude, invites Philip into his space.