Acts 8:32-35

Acts 8:32-35

[32] The place  of the scripture  which  he read  this,  He was led  as  a sheep  to  the slaughter;  and  like  a lamb  dumb  before  his  shearer,  so  opened he  not  his  mouth:  [33] In  his  humiliation  his  judgment  was taken away:  who  shall declare  his  generation?  for  his  life  is taken  from  the earth.  [34] And  the eunuch  answered  Philip,  and said,  I pray  of  whom  speaketh  the prophet  of  himself,  or  of  some  other man?  [35] Then  Philip  opened  his  mouth,  and  began  at  scripture,  and preached  unto him  Jesus. 

What does Acts 8:32-35 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Philip responded to the eunuch"s perplexity by explaining how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah"s prophecy of the Suffering Servant.
". . . there is no evidence that anyone in pre-Christian Judaism ever thought of the Messiah in terms of a Suffering Servant." [1]
Most of the Jews regarded Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12 as referring to their nation or to the Gentile nations. Jesus quoted Isaiah 53as finding fulfillment in His passion ( Luke 22:37). Philip followed Jesus" interpretation and from this passage proceeded to preach Jesus to the eunuch.
This is an excellent example of the Spirit of God using the Word of God through a man of God to bring salvation to the elect of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:23-25). Note also the parallels between this story and the one in Luke 24about Jesus walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
"There is evidence that Luke has very carefully structured his narrative [2] in the form of a chiasm. Acts 8:32-35, the citation of Isaiah 53:7-8, are at the heart of the passage and serve as its hinge." [3]