Inclusive Gospel: The Stories of Samaritans and Eunuchs

Hello, people of the internet! Recently, I was reading my Bible and found myself in Acts chapter 8, where two fascinating situations deserve comparison. We kick off Acts 8 with the stark realities of persecution inflicted by religious elites, who strikingly echo the Christian Nationalists of today. Yet, despite the relentless challenges faced, the followers of Christ emerged even more resolute in their mission to spread the Good News of Jesus.

The persecutions caused the followers to be scattered. This is where we come to our first story that we will dive into: Acts 8:4-25. These verses recount the spread of the Gospel in Samaria through the ministry of Philip. After the persecution of Christians following Stephen’s martyrdom, believers scattered, and Philip went to Samaria, where he preached and performed miracles, leading many to believe in Jesus. Many people, including a man named Simon, were amazed by Philip’s signs and wonders. Simon, who had previously been known for practicing sorcery and claiming to be someone great, also believed and was baptized.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to pray for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. Although the Samaritans had been baptized in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them. After Peter and John prayed and laid hands on them, the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit.

Simon, witnessing this, offered money to the apostles in exchange for the ability to impart the Holy Spirit, leading to Peter’s rebuke. Peter told him that his heart was not right with God and that he needed to repent. Simon asked for prayer, hoping to avoid the judgment Peter had pronounced.

Notice the emphasis on the nationality of the people in this situation, Samaritans. They were seen as “other” by the Israelites. According to Bible.org, “Hatred between Jews and Samaritans was fierce and long-standing.” This hatred originated centuries before the time of Jesus, beginning with the division of Israel into two kingdoms—Israel and Judah—after King Solomon’s reign. The Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel (722 BCE) led to the exile of many Israelites, and the resettlement of foreign peoples in the region created a mixed population. Over time, these people became known as Samaritans, and their religious practices diverged from those of the Jews in Judah, particularly regarding the proper place for worship.

The Samaritans claimed Mount Gerizim as the correct site of worship, while Jews upheld Jerusalem as the sacred location. This religious and ethnic division contributed to deep-seated hostility, with Jews considering Samaritans as heretics and racially impure. However, Jesus did something radically different with his interactions, particularly the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:5-30). Jesus’ actions challenged these prejudices and emphasized love and compassion, transcending the historical enmity.

Next, I want us to look at Acts 8:26-39. Here is the story of Philip’s encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch, a high-ranking official in the royal court of Queen Candace. The Holy Spirit directs Philip to a desert road where he meets the eunuch, who is reading from the book of Isaiah but doesn’t understand the passage. Philip approaches him and explains that the passage refers to Jesus, sharing the good news about Christ.

As they travel together, they come across some water, and the eunuch asks if anything prevents him from being baptized. Philip affirms that if he believes in Jesus, he can be baptized. The eunuch confesses his faith in Jesus Christ, and Philip baptizes him in the water. After the baptism, the Holy Spirit suddenly takes Philip away, and the eunuch continues on his journey, rejoicing.

This story has a significant history attached to it. Why was it so profound that a follower of Jesus, an Israelite, witnessed to a eunuch? To understand, we must go back to one of the first books of the Bible, part of the Torah (Instructions, Teaching, or Law). Deuteronomy 23:1 states that, “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall come into the assembly of the Lord.” There are several reasons scholars have given for this verse.

• Ritual Purity: Ancient Israelite laws placed strong emphasis on ritual purity. Physical “imperfections” like castration were seen as violations of the wholeness and integrity required for participation in sacred spaces.
• Cultural Associations: Eunuchs were often associated with pagan practices and foreign courts, where they served as officials or guardians of harems. Their presence might have symbolized allegiance to foreign customs or gods, which were viewed as contrary to Israelite worship.
• Symbol of Fertility and Covenant: The covenant with God emphasized procreation and family lineage (e.g., the promise to Abraham of descendants as numerous as the stars). Eunuchs, being unable to have children, represented a deviation from this ideal.
• Holiness and Wholeness: Many Old Testament laws tied physical wholeness to spiritual holiness. Castration was viewed as a defect that rendered a person ritually “unfit” for full inclusion in the community.

Eunuchs were often seen as “untouchables” in biblical times because they occupied a unique and marginalized position within the cultural, social, and religious frameworks of ancient societies, including those of the Bible. This marginalization stemmed from a combination of physical, social, and spiritual factors. And yet, the depiction found in Acts 8:26-39 was foretold about 800 years prior in Isaiah 56:3-5, which envisions a future where eunuchs are included in God’s covenant and given an everlasting name.

So, why bother comparing the stories of the Samaritans and Eunuchs? In Acts, when the Samaritans got baptized and the Ethiopian eunuch stepped into faith, it shows how inclusive the gospel is and how it shakes up cultural and social norms. The Samaritans were often looked down on by Jews because of their mixed roots and different beliefs, but the Holy Spirit welcomed them into the believers’ community. On the flip side, the Ethiopian eunuch—who was already on the margins due to his situation—got a personal visit from Philip and was baptized too, which showed that he was included in God’s kingdom. These stories show that the gospel blows past boundaries like nationality, social standing, sexuality, gender, and any other barriers people throw up. In Christ, everyone gets invited to the table, swapping out the usual cultural exclusion for God’s amazing love and acceptance. This whole idea hits home with Jesus’ mission: to find and save everyone open to it, without caring about any human biases or limits.

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Sources

https://bible.org/illustration/hatred-between-jews-and-samaritans

Eunuchs in the Bible

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