Welcome to Bakos Tewahedo Outreach!
Photo image. Art is by Mengistu Cherenet.
Who is Bakos?
Bakos, an Ethiopian eunuch, is the first non-Hebrew Christian selected by God. His story is described in The Acts of the Apostles (Chapter 8:26-39).
Bakos was a trustworthy, respectable man and commander of all the Queen’s treasures. Clearly, he was an honest man with great responsibility; he had power over everything the Queen possessed.
Acts 8:26-27 And the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is desert... a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury…”
Bakos was also a religious man who worshiped God and was reading the word of God on his way back from Jerusalem.
Acts 8:27-28 “…and had come to Jerusalem for worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot he was reading Isaiah the prophet…”
Bakos read the Scriptures without wisdom; however, St. Phillip gave him spiritual guidance.
Acts 8:30-31 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
Bakos read Christ’s substitutionary death in the Scripture but had no idea who had died in his place.
Acts 8:32-33 “...he was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."
The above verse is a paraphrase stated in Isaiah 53:7-8 “…He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people He was stricken.”
Acts 8: 34-35 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
Bakos received Jesus Christ, the Son of God, with all his heart. He was receptive and willing to be baptized. He was then filled with joy.
Acts 8:36-39 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.