Missing the Practical
By Anthony Casperson
2-7-26

Turning away from the commentary, I shook my head. “This one too,” I said. “How can they all miss it?”

I found myself here this past Monday morning while researching the sermon that I’ll upload at the end of March. I’d looked at the passage—Acts 8:26-40—in the original Greek and noticed something interesting about the narrative. But throughout the several commentaries I read for my research, none of them came closer than a near-glance at one aspect of the text that appeared obvious to me.

And this aspect is going to be part of the driving application for the sermon.

But before I get too deep into my thoughts about the negligence toward this part of the passage, I should probably explain it better than vague generalities. And also not just copy/paste the sermon here. I hope that sermon will be fresh when we get there.

In quick overview, Acts 8:26-40 is when a follower of Jesus named Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to a divine appointment with a eunuch from a country far to the south of Israel. This eunuch was a high official in his home government—being a royal treasurer—but also had some faith in the God of Israel. We know the latter part because the eunuch had been heading home from worshipping God in Jerusalem.

When Philip caught up with the eunuch’s chariot, he heard the man reading part of Isaiah 53. This is part of the Suffering Servant passage from Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Since chapter and verse divisions in the books of the bible wouldn’t be demarcated for some centuries after these events, Luke records specific words of the passage to let us know where the eunuch had been reading.

Luke records the words of Isaiah 53:7-8 in Acts 8:32-33, “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he’d been reading, to which the man in the chariot responded essentially with a “No.” And followed that up with a question as to whether the prophet had been talking about himself as the suffering servant, or if he’d been speaking of another.

Then, in Acts 8:35, Luke records that, “Philip opened his mouth and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.”

But did you notice the interesting thing that I did in the passage? I literally used the words of Luke’s writing that contains this aspect. It’s right there, even in the English translation.

In the words that had been quoted from Isaiah, it speaks of the Lamb—Jesus—not opening his mouth before his accusers. And then just a couple of verses later it speaks of Philip opening his mouth to speak the truth of the gospel.

Luke could have chosen any number of sections from Isaiah 52:13-53:12 to indicate to us what passage the eunuch had been reading from. But he chose the specific words that show the Lamb with his mouth not open. And Luke could have used any number of ways to describe Philip explaining the gospel. But he chose the specific phrase that indicates Philip with his mouth open to speak.

And when this is combined with the context of this part of Acts—where the gospel is just beginning to expand from beyond Jerusalem and Judah into Samaria and the ends of the earth—the opening of the mouth to proclaim the gospel is all the more significant. It’s following the leading of the Spirit of God to shout forth the salvation available though the sacrifice of Jesus.

It’s a narrative way to say, “Finally! Those who know the gospel are willing to spread that truth, just as Jesus had commanded them to do.”

And it’s also a place of application for those of us followers of Jesus who keep word of the gospel contained in our own Jerusalems and Judeas—if even that far beyond ourselves. These words remind us of our calling to speak the truth of salvation. To open our mouths and speak forth the words of the Lamb who didn’t open his mouth before his false accusers.

Since the application is directly there, and the words are clear enough that you could even witness them in the English translation, you’d expect some word about this to be in the books meant to help us understand the bible.

But, no.

The closest that the commentaries I read had gotten was one that asked why Luke chose these specific words from Isaiah to help us locate the passage that the eunuch was reading. That commentary just left the question hanging, without even trying to answer.

And another commentary spoke about Philip opening his mouth, but quickly moved past it by saying that this is a common phrase to introduce the words of someone speaking. Disregarded, as if Luke used cliched words instead of purposefully crafting the narrative around this trope.

I had to ask why. Why did the commentaries miss this aspect that seems to be integral to the application of the passage? What was so important to them to take up page space, rather than digging into the narrative aspect of the event?

The answer to that last question gave me the answer to the one before it.

Most of the commentaries had taken time to discuss the textual variant of Acts 8:37, which isn’t in the oldest manuscripts we have available for the book of Acts. It was likely introduced by a later editor to smooth out the fact that the eunuch’s faith hadn’t been confirmed before his baptism. And thus wasn’t part of Luke’s original writing.

Another of the commentary authors held a specific theology concerning baptism, and thus took an inordinate amount of space discussing how baptism is part of the conversion process. And he also went into great detail about the intricacies of how Philip and the eunuch went “down into the water” and thus full immersion baptism is what all followers of Jesus should do.

The commentators spent so much time trying to defend the confidence we should have against critics of the text, along with their other favorite theological perspectives, that they missed one of the most blatant aspects of the passage. And missed out on the application that is among the most practical helps for actual people studying this passage.

I’m not saying that understanding textual criticism or knowing about different theological perspectives is bad or wrong. But when they become so much our focus that we miss what the author—both the human one and the Holy Spirit—meant to say, maybe they’ve become more of an idol than we’d like to admit.

Maybe we’ve allowed the spiritual growth of our fellow followers of Jesus to fall to the wayside. All for the ability to show how smart or right we are.

And the problem with that is when leaders and teachers show people to focus on the arguments and textual criticism, rather than the most applicable parts of the bible, those people start to follow that less-than-helpful lead.

How many times have you been reading through a passage of the bible that you’ve been through before and thought, “Yeah, yeah, I know this part. This is what it’s about. Same old thing. Been here. Heard that.” How many time have you read like this, but then nothing changed?

No spiritual growth. No change of mind or heart. No movement of our hands to be better servants of the gospel.

The words of life renewed nothing in us. Because our minds and hearts and hands focused on defending from criticism and our personal pet theologies rather than trying to see what the author meant for us. We took up time and space for good things, rather than the best things that lead us to spiritual growth and renewal.

Rather than the aspects that can easily be applied to followers of Jesus for their growth as well.

When we come to any passage of the bible, we should seek the facet of truth that the Holy Spirit has for us. The aspect that will grow us to be more like our holy and loving Savior who died for us.

Yes, understanding textual criticism and differing theologies can be helpful. But not when they come at the expense of practical application that can lead us to growth in Jesus. The space would be better used for the practical than those things, if we were to need to choose.

But more than anything time and space should be made for the practical application.

So, let’s take the time to look at the passage we read. And look for what the Spirit has for us to learn and feel and do. Let’s come with an attitude of humility and discipleship that seeks to grow, rather than one that keeps us in the idolatrous ways of a “Yeah, yeah, I know that part.”

Read the word of God with a fresh view, no matter how many times we’ve read it before. Because we never know what new facet of truth he might reveal.

And most important of all, after you have learned the practical application of God, open your mouth to let others know as well.