Rabbi John declared,
"I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit."" John 1:33.
κἀγὼ οὐκ ἤ̨δειν αὐτόν ἀλλ" ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι ἐκει̃νός μοι εἰ̃πεν ἐφ" ὃν ἂν ἴδη̨ς τò πνευ̃μα καταβαι̃νον καὶ μένον ἐπ" αὐτόν οὑ̃τός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίω̨
R. John knew of only one water baptism for the Messianic Age to be revealed to Israel, the one the Father had sent him to perform.
We find no hint in Scripture that R. John believed another water baptism would supersede his.
On the other hand he knew Messiah coming after him would baptize in a mighty, living way.
"Is it feasible that John might have contrasted his baptism with water as one mode of cleansing and renewal with the Messiah’s baptism with Spirit and fire as a more powerful means of cleansing and renewal? [Absolutely!1] Here it is necessary to observe the strict parallelism of language used by the evangelists in contrasting the two baptisms; in Mark, ’I baptize you with water (hudati), but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (pneumati hagioi)’; in Matthew and Luke, ’I baptize you with water (en hudati)...he will baptize with (en) Holy Spirit and fire’...the en as well as the simple dative signify in each case the instrument or means employed in the baptism. The Spirit is an agency comparable with water and fire. Thus Messiah baptizes for cleansing and renewal in a more glorious way than R. John."2
So although the Baptist had been filled with the Spirit from birth and announced the Kingdom in the spirit and power of Elijah and purified with water, he knew he was not fit to bear Messiah’s sandals, he knew he desperately needed a radical purification of nature.
If that holy martyr knew he needed to be baptized by Messiah, then surely every other mortal needs to be baptized by Him as well.
A remnant of Jewish believers heard R. John, believed and repented, turning from their sins to produce good fruit, Matthew 21:31-32.
But it is clear that they had not yet received the Holy Spirit, John 7:39.3 They longed for the monumental day when they would be baptized with the Spirit.
Many in Israel looked for this great prophetic hope,4 but until the coming of Messiah, and until He was glorified and ascended no one could fulfill it. But now, with death conquered, with the price of sin paid, Messiah could begin His great work of baptizing with the Holy Spirit.
The opening verses of Acts record the same unmistakable contrast from the risen Lord,
"John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit," Acts 1:5.
Three great voices, R. John, Messiah and later, the apostle Peter, repeat this sharp contrast between John’s water and Messiah’s Spirit.
In all of Scripture it is found six times by four different writers, more times than the crucial term "New Covenant." Surely this phrase is a warning beacon!5
Three times we find the contrast in the companion volumes of Luke-Acts.
Yet at the same time, though Messiah was not silent about water baptism, a command for a new water baptism superior to John’s is conspicuously absent.
Three simple observations face anyone who reads of the spreading flame of faith in Acts from the author’s viewpoint.
Messiah never commanded a new water baptism.
R. John’s baptism to Israel is the only Messianic water baptism that there ever was.
Being baptized with the Spirit is for every disciple from any nation and is not dependent on John’s baptism. Rather it far transcends John’s baptism.
For the Christian world the above will be startling remarks.
Nevertheless, Luke’s goal was to write out in consecutive order an account of what had happened, that readers might know the exact truth, Luke 1:1-4.
A command for a new water baptism is absent, but as mentioned, the Lord was not silent about the subject. The gripping fact is He clearly spoke of the greatest water baptism ever revealed to Israel, John’s.6
Notice carefully that Messiah by no means annulled it, but He did transcend it with something far more wonderful, not water, but the promised Spirit, and this just seconds before ascending into Heaven.
For Luke it was Messiah’s last word on baptism, water or Spirit. Those verses are practically His last direct words on any subject.
It is natural to assume that the subject of baptism in Acts would be related to Messiah’s final statement of contrast between water and Spirit.
Beyond that, Ezekiel 36:25-27 told Israel to look for one water ritual and then a spiritual transformation.
"I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." (vs. 27)
ואת-רוחי, אתן בקרבכם; ועשיתי, את אשר-בחקי תלכו, ומשפטי תשמרו, ועשיתם.
In a similar way, R. John had initiated the purification with water, now Messiah would begin to transform with His Spirit.
In reading through Acts we see the Jewish disciples were well aware that Messiah had begun to pour out His Spirit in the last days. They knew of the promised Gift but did not understand all the wonderful benefits.
Nevertheless, they dreaded ritual impurity even though they were being filled with the Spirit and experiencing charismatic gifts.7 They simply did not comprehend the transcendent purification until they were shocked some ten years later, as we read in Acts 10.
Faithful Jews held firmly to God’s command to separate from the nations and be holy, observing all laws of purification in Torah. The disciples had done this gladly.
Had they not earlier seen their Master’s fiery zeal as He cleansed God’s Temple with a whip? The same Temple in which stone signs were set up to warn visitors from the nations they were ritually unclean and would be put to death by the Jews if they passed beyond a certain point and came too close to the Holy of Holies; the sacred Temple in which riots would erupt if it were thought they really had trespassed. God’s Kingdom was near and Israel was obligated to keep the Torah, Malachi 3:22 (4:4).
In fact God had promised that He would cause Israel to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments when He put His Spirit in them, Ezekiel 36:27.
This helps explain why Jewish disciples were stunned when Messiah poured out His Spirit on foreigners of the house of Cornelius.
The nations were ignorant of God’s requirements. They were not dedicated to purity as Jews were. How could Messiah pour out His Spirit, His HOLY Spirit, on them?
This staggering question eventually caused Peter to remember Yeshua’s promise long before, that critical contrast;
"John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 11:16.
του̃ ῥήματος του̃ κυρίου ὡς ἔλεγεν ’Ιωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι ὑμει̃ς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίω̨
It took until almost half-way through Acts before the fullness of the Good News was finally understood.
Israel’s rituals, including the latest Messianic purification, had been transcended by Messiah, who now baptizes with His Spirit, radically transforming the nature of all disciples.
The gentiles had been purified with His Holy Spirit, not water, and the Jewish disciples found out no work of righteousness could satisfy God. We must seek Him to cleanse us, we cannot cleanse ourselves.
Messiah is the Great Offering "burnt to ashes" outside the camp, whose mortal, fleshly body was "burned up," as it were, in the resurrection transformation into an eternal, spiritual body. The power of His sacrifice is now "mixed" with the living water of the Holy Spirit to sprinkle those dead in trespasses and sins.
Yeshua Himself is the Great High Priest who pours out His Spirit in overwhelming New Covenant power to baptize-eternally purify.
We now look at more of the details of this story of faithful Jews who came to realize Messiah’s transcendent purification.
After the resurrection the disciples expected the Lord to establish Israel in the Messianic Kingdom soon. They continued to worship in the Temple and testified that the nation’s leadership had rejected their own King Messiah.8
They saw themselves as the obedient remnant of Israel in the midst of the greater disobedient nation.
They were faithful to King Messiah and His forerunner, John, expressing their faith in a framework of the Torah and traditions and would not even dwell with non-Jews, Acts 10:28.
Later, even after God had received disciples from the nations in New Covenant fellowship, the Jewish believers were zealous to observe the Torah and Prophets.
All these things tell us that in the early chapters of Acts, Peter and all Jewish disciples were "shomray mitzvot," Torah observant Jewish believers in the Jewish King of Israel.
After Messiah ascended a replacement apostle was selected to take the place of Judas the betrayer, to fulfill a special sign, Acts 1:15-26.
But exactly twelve witnesses would be virtually meaningless to anyone who was not from Israel.
In other words, the early testimony of the twelve apostles was directed to Israel, not to the nations.
We also read that it was important to Peter for this replacement to have been among them from the beginning of the Messianic Age, even from the time of R. John’s baptism.
Thus we find that Messianic testimony after the resurrection (some years after John’s martyrdom) still involved with John’s baptism.
This is emphatically revealed by the fact that of fifteen different scenes in Acts which mention baptism seven refer directly to John’s. Not one says Messiah ordered a new water baptism to supersede it.
Shavu’ot, the "Feast of Weeks," is the second of three yearly pilgrimage feasts commanded to Israel, commemorating God’s faithfulness in the harvest.
In fact, the first time it is mentioned it is called the "Feast of the Harvest," Exodus 23:16. Messiah had just fulfilled rich Scriptural types of Pesach (Passover).
Now the disciples would be the "first-fruits" of the real harvest of souls on Shavu’ot.
After returning from their meeting with Messiah in Galilee they remained in Jerusalem according to His command. This also fulfilled the command in Torah for Jews to present themselves to God at this festival.
Messiah poured out His Spirit on the waiting disciples with supernatural glory and power. A loud rushing sound was heard and tongues of flame rested on the disciples.
They were filled with the Spirit and began to utter-forth at least fifteen different languages of the Middle Eastern world.
They were not "preaching," but crying out "Abba! Papa!" and praising Him for everything Messiah their Redeemer had done as the newly indwelling Spirit gave them to utter-forth. The love of God had been poured out into their hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to them.
Now, through the power of the long promised New Covenant they knew God in a way Israel had never known Him. They were filled with the fullness of God, something the covenant of Sinai could never permit.
No need now for every man to tell his neighbor "know the LORD" for they all knew Him intimately, in sacred ecstasy, the New Covenant promise of Jeremiah 31.
This day they were recreated in the image of their Master, sharing His holy nature, receiving a new heart and a new spirit. By the Spirit of Messiah they were co-crucified, co-entombed, co-quickened and co-raised, born from above, made new creatures, born again, sealed with the Spirit of Promise, seated in heavenly places in Messiah.
These human vessels had been radically cleansed -- baptized -- even if they did not fully comprehend it.
Some outsiders were amazed. Others mocked. Peter faced the skeptics with a promise from the prophet Joel.
But Peter did not just pull this Scripture out of thin air. The disciples had been waiting for it to come to pass.
Joel described God pouring out His Spirit on all kinds of people in the days just before His Kingdom.
The Gift was not just for kings and prophets, but now was for all who would call on the name of the Lord.
"And it shall come to pass in the last days says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy... And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
17 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ται̃ς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις λέγει ὁ θεός ἐκχεω̃ ἀπò του̃ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πα̃σαν σάρκα καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμω̃ν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμω̃ν καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ὑμω̃ν ὁράσεις ὄψονται καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑμω̃ν ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται
18 καί γε ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους μου καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας μου ἐν ται̃ς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐκχεω̃ ἀπò του̃ πνεύματός μου καὶ προφητεύσουσιν
21 καὶ ἔσται πα̃ς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τò ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται
וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי־כֵן, אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת־רוּחִי עַל־כָּל־בָּשָׂר, וְנִבְּאוּ בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם; זִקְנֵיכֶם חֲלמוֹת יַחֲלמוּן, בַּחוּרֵיכֶם, חֶזְינוֹת יִרְאוּ׃
וְגַם עַל־הָעֲבָדִים וְעַל־הַשְּׁפָחוֹת; בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה, אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת־רוּחִי׃
וְהָיָה, כּל אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט
Here the original word "afterward" in this prophecy has been replaced with other end-time terminology "last days" to emphasize that this Scripture, in combination with others, was finding immediate fulfillment.
Peter certainly knew Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 had just been fulfilled by the Lord9 and in the very next chapter of Acts he said "these days" in which they were living had been foretold by all the prophets. This would include Joel, as well as Ezekiel, Acts 3:24. The prophets had said the Spirit would be poured out, as for example in these two passages:
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Ezekiel 39:29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD."
Thus Peter said in his own words that Messiah had done this very thing, pouring out the Spirit of Promise, Acts 2:33.
Not only so, the apostles expected the Lord to continue to pour out His Spirit with supernatural glory in the "last days" and "those days."
Shavu’ot was not a one-time event which was something "like" Joel’s prophecy.
Rather, it was the beginning of a continuous pattern in the last days, exactly what Joel promised. And if they had not yet seen every sign found in Joel, they would anticipate their soon fulfillment. After all, this was only the first day of many in the last days. They looked forward to God’s out-working of Scripture.
Peter proclaimed Messiah to the "men of Israel," v. 22, and summed up his discourse by saying,
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Yeshua, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." v. 36.
The testimony of the apostles was directed to Israel, not the nations.
Of the many Jews and proselytes to Judaism who heard the word, three thousand were cut in their hearts. They believed everything - that Yeshua was Messiah, crucified and risen from the dead, now ascended into Heaven and that He had just poured out the promised Spirit.
They were stricken with guilt and called out to know what to do.
"Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Yeshua the Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38.
μετανοήσατε φησίν καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμω̃ν ἐπὶ τω̨̃ ὀνόματι ’Ιησου̃ Χριστου̃ εἰς ἄφεσιν τω̃ν ἁμαρτιω̃ν ὑμω̃ν καὶ λήμψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν του̃ ἁγίου πνεύματος
A vital question presents itself and must be directed to the Christian world.
"Is this command to Jewish worshipers at a Jewish feast in the Jewish capital meant to apply to all later believers in Yeshua across the board, whether Jewish or from any nation?"
The context leads us to answer no.
Peter and the eleven are apostles to the circumcision, Israel, and are proclaiming the Messianic revelation to their nation.
Many years after Shavu’ot the apostle Paul wrote to non-Jewish believers in Galatia, telling them in Galatians 2:7 that there is such a thing as the "Gospel of the Circumcision" (for the Jewish people) which is quite distinct from the "Gospel of the Uncircumcision" (the rest of the nations of the world). The heart of the Good News--faith in Yeshua--is identical, but the outworking and expression differs according to the group addressed, Israel or all the rest of the nations.
Returning to Shavu’ot in Jerusalem:
Israel is informed it still needs to receive all God had foretold by their prophets and now revealed in the last days, the end-time baptism of John and the Messiah it heralded. Then, as in Ezekiel, they would receive the Holy Spirit.
Peter gave this command to Jewish worshipers and as such it must not be divorced from its Jewish origin and indiscriminately applied to anyone from the nations. That is the spurious idea that has been a square peg forced into a round hole for long centuries.
We recall that R. John proclaimed a "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,"
Luke 3:3, κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιω̃ν
Acts 13:24, προκηρύξαντος ’Ιωάννου πρò προσώπου τη̃ς εἰσόδου αὐτου̃ βάπτισμα μετανοίας παντὶ τω̨̃ λαω̨̃ ’Ισραήλ
On Shavu’ot Peter too commanded repentance and being baptized for the remission of sins.
This is a direct indication of John’s baptism, now however, performed by the authority of the risen Messiah, i.e. in His name.
When Peter commanded baptism "in the name" of Messiah he intended more than merely adding a label to a ritual act. This phrase identifies the authority by which he makes his command, as well as the goal, joining the worshiper to the saved remnant which will soon enter the Messianic Kingdom.
It should also be noted that in most reliable Greek manuscripts the preposition "epi" is found for this phrase:
"επι τω ονοματι ιησου χριστου εις αφεσιν αμαρτιων"
This is a noteworthy departure from either "en" or "eis." It seems to convey the idea of performing the rite by virtue of the authority of Messiah.
In fact, Jews of lesser social rank used the name of a higher authority to confirm their actions or answers, Acts 4:7-12.
The Talmud also is full of citations "in the name" of some other rabbi.
Peter was not the Messiah, nor the Voice of Isaiah nor the Messenger of Malachi as was R. John. He was not the High Priest, nor a member of the Sanhedrin, nor even a Rabbi. He was a Galilean fisherman who had been a disciple of Rabbi Yeshua, the son of David, who was in fact King Messiah.
The resurrected Yeshua’s name was his source of authority on Shavu’ot.
There is no contradiction in linking Israel’s end-time baptism initiated by R. John with the name of Messiah Yeshua.
In fact we might expect it since Messiah had continually endorsed it publicly, the last time just eight weeks before Shavu’ot, a week before His death, Luke 20:1-8. Yeshua not only endorsed John's baptism, but said the authority behind it was the same authority behind His claim to be Messiah. In other words John's baptism was a commandment of God incumbent on all Israel.
In the eyes of the disciples the authority of the death-conquering Yeshua was infinitely greater than R. John.
It would therefore not be improper for them to proclaim Israel’s end-time baptism in the name of Messiah who continually approved it, in fact it would be expected of them.
Neither was it contrary to the goal of New Covenant faith, i.e. that the Jewish believer undergoing Israel’s end-time Messianic baptism should be numbered with Israel’s faithful remnant.
The fusing of "John’s baptism" with the "name of Messiah" is no surprise for it had never been performed "in the name of John." It was strictly for the sake of revealing Messiah to Israel.
Plus, we never read of "Yeshua’s baptism," but of one performed "in His name" i.e. by His authorization.
There is no difficulty believing the end-time purification of Ezekiel, now called John’s baptism, was administered to repentant Jews on Shavu’ot by the approval and authority of Israel’s risen King Messiah.
Three thousand believed Peter"s preaching that Yeshua is Messiah and had an emotional experience. Their hearts were cut.
However, contrary to the wide-spread modern belief, they were not ordered baptized as an "outward sign" or "public profession" of what the Spirit had done inwardly. According to Peter they had not yet received the Spirit.
This means a new disciple may have seen or heard a miracle of God, can believe Yeshua is raised from the dead and be deeply moved --cut in his heart-- and even call out to know what to do next, and it does not indicate that they have received the Spirit.
The three thousand would receive the Spirit after repenting and being baptized, precisely the sequence of Ezekiel 36.
The Jerusalem spring of Gihon which feeds the pool of Shiloah (Siloam), not far from the Temple or the traditional location of the upper room, provided a nearby source of living water which could be sprinkled on the worshipers, fulfilling the sign of Ezekiel.
Peter was convinced the Spirit would continue to be poured out on new believers since he told the crowd,
"You shall receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. For the Promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." vv. 38-39.
αὶ λήμψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν του̃ ἁγίου πνεύματος; ὑμι̃ν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπαγγελία καὶ τοι̃ς τέκνοις ὑμω̃ν καὶ πα̃σιν τοι̃ς εἰς μακρὰν ὅσους ἂν προσκαλέσηται κύριος ὁ θεòς ἡμω̃ν
Peter’s promise was not a "hope of salvation" or "forgiveness" or "eternal life," it was rather the miraculous Gift of the Holy Spirit, plain and simple.
The Jewish expectation of the outpouring of the prophetic Spirit in the last days has now been promised to everyone turning to the Lord.
In contrast to a sizeable part of modern Christianity, here there was no fear or anxiety or revulsion of a supernatural experience of sacred ecstasy with the Holy One of Israel.
Contrary to much modern thought, the apostles did not assume disciples would unknowingly "get" the Spirit by believing in Yeshua.
The three thousand were given crystal-clear instructions that soon they would share in this wonderful experience. In these last days Messiah was pouring out His Spirit powerfully and bestowing supernatural gifts.10
The new believers were not informed they had been "saved" after repeating a sinner’s prayer. Instead the promise of the Spirit was clearly offered, and this to observant Jews who understood what it meant. Then they were exhorted to be saved from that wicked generation, vv. 38-40.
Shavu’ot actually marked the beginning of the fulfillment of a wish by Moshe Rabbenu, Moses, concerning Israel, that God would supernaturally put His Spirit on all His people, that all would be prophets, Numbers 11:29.
The Gift of the Spirit was for,
"all who are far off, as many as the LORD our God shall call to Himself," Acts 2:39.
This apparently was not said with the idea of non-Jews from the nations in mind, but rather to the scattered of Israel. It apparently is Peter’s version of the conclusion of Joel’s prophecy which reads, "among the remnant whom the LORD calls." In these early days he has in mind the remnant of Israel. Later he will learn that anyone from the nations who repents and trusts Messiah can also share in this glorious Gift by faith.
Though Samaritans and Jews viewed each other with contempt in those days (John 4:9) God had promised long before that the ancient split between Judah and the ten northern tribes would one day be healed through an eternal Covenant of peace. One who sat in the place of David would rule over the united Kingdom, Ezekiel 37:15-28.
King Yeshua is the author of a New Covenant of eternal peace and is the expected Davidic scion. And Israel’s reunification in Ezekiel 37 is promised just after the sprinkling of clean water in Ezekiel 36.
Certainly foreigners had been transplanted into Samaria by the conquering Assyrians long before. Still Yeshua did not dispute with the Samaritan woman when she said "our father Jacob" had given his descendants the well, John 4:12. Not all the Israelites had been taken captive centuries before, some still lived in the region, Luke 2:36.
Philip proclaimed the Good News of Israel’s Messiah in the capital of the ten northern tribes, the city of Samaria, Acts 8:5-25. He also performed miraculous healings, cast demons out of those afflicted, and continued to administer the end-time purification water rite to Israel in the name of Messiah Yeshua, and there was great joy in the city, 8:8.
The Samaritans Obviously Lack the Gift of the Holy Spirit
The joyous Samaritans however, did not immediately receive the Holy Spirit and we must emphasize that they were not told,
"You believed in Yeshua, made a profession of faith and have been water baptized, therefore you 'have' the Spirit."
No, the Samaritans were not taught what many today are taught in various Christian denominations.
Instead Philip and the Samaritans knew they had not received the Spirit, even though they had believed in Yeshua, repented, had been water baptized, were witnessing miraculous healings and were having emotional experiences of joy. The best was still to come!
If the Samaritans did not personally know of the wonderful supernatural experience of receiving the Spirit, promised in the last days, they simply admitted it. There is no sign that they were bashful or ashamed.
We might suspect that with childlike faith they simply confessed the truth and admitted what they lacked.
Two Jewish apostles, Peter and John, came from Jerusalem to pray that they might receive the Spirit, an experience so powerful a sorcerer offered riches for the authority to bestow the Spirit.
The Samaritans humbled themselves and submitted to Israel’s Messiah, and His Jewish salvation, by receiving the Messianic baptism and the out-poured Spirit.
It may be possible that the Greek of this passage suggests the following understanding:
"For not yet was the Holy Spirit fallen on anybody, but only they were beginning to be baptized into the name of the Lord Yeshua."
For more information go here.
An Ethiopian official had been in Jerusalem worshiping the God of Israel, Acts 8:26-40.
It is quite reasonable to believe this man was either a proselyte to Judaism or born Jewish, (cf. Acts 2:5-11).
The narrative tells us he was reading the prophecies of Isaiah and we have to ask:
"How much sense would anything in this book make if he were not at least somewhat familiar with the Torah and the earlier writings, the foundation of Judaism?"
Moreover, Ernst Haenchen wrote that the Greek word for eunuch "frequently denotes high political or military officers; it does not necessarily indicate castration." The Greek text may as well indicate the Ethiopian was "on pilgrimage" to Jerusalem.11
Beyond that, years later Peter explained to Jewish leaders in the faith in the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 that he was the one whom God had selected to open the door of the Good News to the nations, not Philip. This would imply the Ethiopian was not a gentile.
Philip would have taught the Ethiopian about the slaughtered "Lamb," Messiah, and the end-time water baptism from R. John, very likely referring to the predicted "Voice in the wilderness" also found in Isaiah.
We do not read explicitly that the man received the Spirit. However, Philip had just come from a place where he knew the Samaritans did not immediately receive the Spirit. Therefore it would seem that he would also have ensured the Ethiopian’s reception before they were separated.
The explanation for the difference in experience between the Samaritans and the Ethiopian would seem to be that the Samaritans had long turned a cold shoulder to Jerusalem, to kings from David’s offspring, to Jewish prophets and to "salvation from the Jews."
After an estrangement of almost a thousand years they needed to humble themselves and return to Israel’s Messiah from David’s line. They needed the confirming witness of Messiah’s apostles from Israel’s capital Jerusalem.
On the other hand, the Ethiopian had just made an arduous trek to Jerusalem and was reading one of the Jewish prophets. He was not of a background that needed the same attention as the Samaritans. The Lord would not have to delay his reception of the Spirit.
There is every reason to believe Israel’s end-time water baptism continued after the resurrection, by Messiah’s consent, to the remnant of Israel including Jews, Samaritans, and Diaspora Jews.
The Spirit was then offered and received, in precise accord with Ezekiel.
Messiah nevertheless set a new course for the proclamation of the Good News. The Judean apostles will soon fully understand that receiving the supernatural Gift of the Spirit is the supreme baptism, beyond all the rituals of Israel, that can even purify the nations.
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1Inserted for clarity.
2Beasley-Murray, Baptism, p 37.
3It is extremely important to distinguish between repentance and regeneration. Prior to Messiah’s Sacrifice to provide atonement for sin it was not possible to be regenerated into a new creature, or in other terms "born again," or in still other terms "baptized with the Spirit." Many Jewish people were convicted to repent of their sins by the testimony of the Holy Spirit who was "with them" or "beside them" but would not be "born again" until Messiah began to pour out His Spirit to baptize. For more see Receive The Spirit.
4David Hill, 'Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings,’ Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, Cambridge University Press, 1967, p 246, "Without entering into the question of the relation of John to the Qumran sect, it is pertinent to mention here a language-parallel to the Baptist’s promise in 1QS 4:20f. The section describes the visitation of God when a portion of mankind will be refined and purged. 'Then God will cleanse by his truth all the deeds of a man (or men) And will refine him some of the children of men, In order to abolish every wicked spirit out of the midst of their flesh; And to cleanse them by a holy spirit from all evil deeds; And he will sprinkle upon him a spirit of truth like purifying water...Thus he will give the upright insight into the knowledge of the Most High and the wisdom of the sons of heaven...’ Here in a eschatological context, with reference to 'refining’ and to 'fire’, the Spirit is both the agent of cleansing and an endowment." Note 3 on this page says; "It is possible that the Spirit was expected to come in connection with the sect’s lustral rites, for the gift of the Spirit is associated with a sprinkling of clean water in Ezek. 36:25."; Flusser, Judaism and the Origins of Christianity, p 64, "The specific purifying action of the Spirit is emphasized in the description of the final and absolute cleansing of man from sin in DSD IV, 20-22 (same passage of Dead Sea Scrolls): "And then God will...purify for Himself the frame of man...cleansing him with the holy Spirit....He will sprinkle upon him the Spirit of truth..."
5Modern conservative textual studies tell us the actual wording "New Covenant" is found only five times in three writers, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 2 Corinthians 3:6 and Hebrews 8:8 and 9:15, the "new" in Matthew 26:28 and Mark 14:24 being a later addition. The contrast between water and Spirit is found in Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:17, Acts 1:5, 11:16 and John 1:26,33.
6This fact puts the proposition at hand in a profoundly different category than the identification of John’s Messianic baptism. No Scripture opposes the view that Ezekiel’s sprinkling is what John performed, and many confirm it. But in Acts 1:4-5, the contrast between the water of this greatest baptism for Israel against the promise of the Spirit powerfully insinuates Yeshua never commanded a new baptism.
7Acts 2:4; 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:3.
8Acts 2:36, 3:13-15, 4:8-12, 5:30-32, 7:51-53.
9Acts 2:25-28; 34-35.
10At the same time it is significant to note that there is no "coaching" of worshipers to begin making noises, "speaking in tongues," as if that were the evidence of receiving the Spirit, instead, it appears the specific giftings were left up to the Spirit, which certainly included tongues and prophecy.
11Ernst Haenchen, The Acts of the Apostles, Oxford, (translated Basil Blackwell) 1971, p 310. (It should be mentioned that any emasculated Israelite was banned from the Temple according to the Torah, Deuteronomy 23:2 (1). The prophet Isaiah later gave such men a special promise in Isaiah 56:3-5 of abiding in the LORD’s house and some commentators take that to be the reason the Ethiopian, a supposed eunuch, sympathetic but ignorant of Judaism, would be reading this prophecy. However, Isaiah 56 speaks specifically to Israelite eunuchs who observe Torah, in fact the passage distinguishes between Israelite eunuchs and foreigners dwelling in the land of Israel. These facts make it difficult to press such an interpretation.)