Acts 8:34-36 (NRSV)
Read Acts 8:34-36 on biblegateway.com
Verse 34The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Verse 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. Verse 36As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?"
Devotion
The eunuch of Acts 8 is an Ethiopian court official, a man of position and intrigue. He is searching the Scriptures of the Jews, open to hearing another tradition's truth. He is looking for understanding and a relationship with God.
Then the angel-directed Philip comes along and this foreign dignitary invites him as guest and teacher. Philip opens Scripture to the Ethiopian. A passage from Isaiah speaks of a servant who suffers on behalf of his people. The servant, Philip reveals, is Jesus, the one who died and now is risen. The eunuch orders the chariot to stop at the first sign of water. He exclaims, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?"
This question is directed as much to us as it was to Philip. Many things keep people from baptism. But Jesus took on the sins of the world, so nothing stands in our way. The Holy Spirit sends new Philips to tell the Jesus story and lead new seekers to water. What's to prevent it?
Prayer
Lord, we give you thanks for those put in our path who wish to embrace your Word and be baptized. Give us courage and wisdom to lead them to you.
Amen.