Jesus went to wedding receptions. The Bible tells us so in John 2. At a wedding welcome dinner, Melanie and I met a young couple. They traversed tornadoes to get to the wedding. She was the matron of honor. He is the eldest of twelve children. As we ate together, we had the most interesting conversation about John 9 and the Gilgamesh Epic. I listened to him. He told of his hunger to know the truth. We also talked about their one-year-old son.
Philip left the party in Samaria to talk with one person on the road to Gaza. Running up to a chariot, Philip found what we find if we look: genuine hunger for God. The Ethiopian eunuch, a God-fearer had been up to Jerusalem to worship. But he was left on the outside looking in. Because of his physical condition, he could not ever become a full proselyte to Judaism.
Why was the man reading from Isaiah? Perhaps he was looking for the passage which offered hope to eunuchs who felt estranged from God. Instead, he had found the story of crucifixion written hundreds of years before Jesus’ death. Philip asked if he understood. He invited Philip to help him understand. Thankfully, Philip, like Stephen before him, knew the scriptures well.
God has made us for himself. We are restless until we find rest in him. Today, if our eyes are open, we may encounter people who want to know more about God. Will we know enough about God to help them? We begin and end each day with scripture. Especially, we remember that the story, the whole story of the scriptures, points us to our need for a Savior. Take time for people today. Eternity hangs in the balance!
