Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, stood among the seven chosen deacons for a sacred mission. He performed a duty of serving daily food to Greek-speaking widows in Jerusalem, ensuring fair distribution among them with unwavering compassion and diligence. Such noble sacrifice freed the Apostles to uphold the sword of God’s Word relentlessly. They proclaimed God’s Word with power and fervor, leading to a great increase of believers in Jerusalem.
Full of grace and power, Stephen performed signs and great wonders among the crowd. Men from the Synagogue of Freedmen argued with him in an open debate for everyone to see and hear. Unable to refute Stephen’s wisdom and arguments (Acts 6:10), they resorted to stirring up opposition, secretly conspiring men to say against him, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
Incited by opposition, they stirred up the people, the elders, the scribes, and the teachers of the law, seizing Stephen and dragging him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
Before the Sanhedrin, he ardently delivered a speech recounting the history of Israel from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses down to David and Solomon. Then, with strong conviction proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, He who challenged established Jewish religious belief, dismantling their core religious structure and practices. These are the words which Stephen uttered before the Sanhedrin at the moment he spoke of Jesus:
You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it. (Acts 7:51-53 NIV)
Upon hearing these words from Stephen, the elders, teachers of the Law, priests and the high priest were furious at him. Stephen looked up intently into heaven full of the Holy Spirit. In his vision, he saw God’s glory, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. When he said “Behold I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” the members of the Sanhedrin cried with a loud voice, covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. The moment he was driven out of the city, that’s when they began stoning him.
Saul of Tarsus was there! Saul who later on became Paul was there, witnessing the savage stoning of Stephen to death. Enraged with all of Stephen’s testimonies, witnesses brought their robes to Saul and they continued to stone Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit.”
Kneeling down, Stephen cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” After saying this, he peacefully passed away.
THE AFTERMATH
The death of Stephen scattered the people across the surrounding regions of Jerusalem. Saul, out of his anger to Christians, furiously persecuted them with his sword. He loved God but never believed Jesus to be the Messiah and reckoned such tenet to be a blasphemy to God.
How can the death of Stephen accelerate the spread of the good news of Jesus? With Philip alone, one of the seven deacons, he proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah in Samaria, and a huge multitude of people believed and got baptized. Then, in his obedience to the angel of God, he went south to a desert road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza where he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch who was returning from his worship in Jerusalem to his homeland.
This eunuch was deeply curious to know who this Messiah was on the scroll he was reading out loud while riding his chariot. Philip, having heard what the eunuch was reading, boldly proclaimed Jesus as the only Messiah. Surprisingly, they found water in the desert and he asked to be baptized! Can you imagine how many more people will believe as soon as the eunuch returns to his homeland?
In Stephen’s vision, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. How could this be? Jesus is usually seated at the right hand of God, not standing. Reflecting on the scene when Jesus stood accused before the Sanhedrin, we see a parallel to Stephen’s trial, where both stood accused. Could Jesus standing at the right hand of God symbolize His greeting to Stephen just before his martyrdom? Might it represent Jesus’ way of showing Stephen that He stood with him as he testified on His behalf?
O death, where is your sting? Your power is as dead as my sin! (1 Cor 15:55-57) What the devil meant for evil, God meant for good. (Genesis 50:20) How such death of Stephen can cause a multitude more to believe and get baptized?
As believers in Christ, we are called not to be timid about our faith. We are called to stand with courage, sharing God’s love, mercy, and truth. We are called to share our testimony of God’s goodness and His wrath on wickedness. Whether others believe is left for the Holy Spirit to work in their lives as we continue to proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
BIBLE VERSE
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21 NIV)