Day 34: Do you understand what you are reading?

Acts 8:26-40 (OTB)

²⁶An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) ²⁷So he arose and went. There was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸and was returning, sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” ³⁰Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the passage of Scripture he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. ³³In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” ³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or of someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began to speak, and starting from this Scripture, he shared the message of Jesus with him. ³⁶As they travelled along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What prevents me from being baptised?” ³⁷[This verse is traditionally included in some manuscripts: "Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he answered, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'"] ³⁸And he commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptised him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰Philip, however, found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through, he preached the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.