A Study of Acts: Stephen the Martyr
A Study of Acts: Stephen the Martyr
Acts 7:54-60 - Can you stand for Jesus as your last act? Can you forgive those who persecute you?
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.”
Acts 7:54-60 NASB1995
First, I must make a correction to the last devotional title. Both Steve and I missed the fact that I misspelled Stephen’s name in the title, using Steven instead (I guess I am used to my spouse’s name and how it is spelled after knowing him for 50 years!). I corrected it in the original Substack article but that does not correct the email version. I hate obvious mistakes like that, as they call attention to a lack of credibility as an author.
So, Stephen (spelled right!) has finished his sermon. His audience is infuriated. These grown men who are supposedly so wise are “cut to the quick” (because they know they have heard the truth) and they “gnash their teeth” at him (they are beyond words at this point). Stephen pays no attention to them as he is full of the Holy Spirit and is enraptured by a vision of the glory of God with Jesus (the Son of Man) standing at His right hand. Here is what Enduring Word says about this vision:
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit: This was a great contrast to the behavior of the council. The fact that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit shows the source of his courage, wisdom, and power in preaching.
J.B. Phillips’ translation has insight: Stephen, filled through all his being with the Holy Spirit. This is how we should be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God: It is difficult to describe exactly what Stephen saw. We can’t say if this was a personal vision or if some sort of “window to heaven” was opened, but going beyond the plain description of the text is pure speculation.
Jesus standing at the right hand of God: It is significant to note Jesus is standing here, as opposed to the more common description of Him sitting in heaven (Matthew 26:64, Colossians 3:1), at the right hand of God the Father.
We can suppose that Jesus was standing here in solidarity with Stephen at this moment of crisis. He does not react impassionately to the problems of His people.
We might also consider that Jesus stood to give a standing ovation to Stephen, whose fate made him unique among believers. Among all the followers of Jesus, Stephen was the first martyr.
Jesus said, Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32). Jesus may have also stood to plead Stephen’s case before God the Father, assuring that though he was found guilty and punished on earth, he was found righteous and rewarded in heaven.
“Stephen has been confessing Christ before men, and now he sees Christ confessing his servant before God.” (F.F. Bruce)
I think this commentary is wise - we should not try to read more into this vision than what is written. But it is intriguing that Stephen sees Jesus standing at the right of God. I believe our Lord was in solidarity with Stephen and was watching him with compassion and approval and speaking in his defense to the Father.
His description of the vision, talking about seeing the Son of Man, is the final straw for the Sanhedrin. So what does it mean to be called the “Son of Man”? This is a term that Jesus used for Himself multiple times in the Gospels. I love this answer in gotquestions.org:
Son of Man is a title of humanity. Other titles for Christ, such as Son of God, are overt in their focus on His deity. Son of Man, in contrast, focuses on the humanity of Christ. God called the prophet Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times. In this way, God was simply calling Ezekiel a human being. Son of man is simply a periphrastic term for “human.” Jesus Christ was truly a human being. He came “in the flesh” (1 John 4:2).
Son of Man is a title of humility. The Second Person of the Trinity, eternal in nature, left heaven’s glory and took on human flesh, becoming the Son of Man, born in a manger and “despised and rejected by mankind” (Isaiah 53:3). The Son of Man had “no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). The Son of Man ate and drank with sinners (Matthew 11:19). The Son of Man suffered at the hands of men (Matthew 17:12). This intentional lowering of His status from King of Heaven to Son of Man is the epitome of humility (see Philippians 2:6–8).
Son of Man is a title of deity. Ezekiel may have been a son of man, but Jesus is the Son of Man. As such, Jesus is the supreme example of all that God intended mankind to be, the embodiment of truth and grace (John 1:14). In Him “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). For this reason, the Son of Man was able to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6). The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). The Son of Man came to save lives (Luke 9:56; 19:10), rise from the dead (Mark 9:9), and execute judgment (John 5:27). At His trial before the high priest, Jesus said, “I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). This statement immediately ended the trial, as the court accused the Lord of blasphemy and condemned Him to death (verses 65–66).
Son of Man is a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus’ claim before the high priest to be the Son of Man was a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13–14, “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed” (NKJV). Daniel saw glory, worship, and an everlasting kingdom given to the Messiah—here called the “Son of Man”—and Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself. Jesus also spoke of His coming kingdom on other occasions (Matthew 13:41; 16:28). The author of Hebrews used a reference to the “son of man” in the Psalms to teach that Jesus, the true Son of Man, will be the ruler of all things (Hebrews 2:5–9; cf. Psalm 8:4–6). The Son of Man, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, will be the King.
The Sanhedrin calls out as a group in a loud voice and covers their ears at hearing what they would call the ultimate blasphemy. They heard the same thing from Jesus not that long ago and the result was His torture and crucifixion. They rush at Stephen at once and drive him out of the city; apparently no dirty work was allowed in the council chambers, even with their rage. They also don’t stop to consult with the Romans this time but act on their own accord to eliminate the threat. There they stone him to death, laying their robes aside at the feet of a young man named Saul. Here’s more from Enduring Word:
Then they cried out with a loud voice: When Stephen declared that he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, it was too much. The Sanhedrin reacted quickly, violently, and together. When Jesus, before this same body of men, declared that He would sit at the right hand of God, they had the same reaction and sealed His death as a blasphemer (Matthew 26:64-66).
“For Stephen to suggest that the crucified Jesus stood in a position of authority at the right hand of God must have ranked as blasphemy in the thinking of those who knew that a crucified man died under the divine curse.” (F. F. Bruce)
They cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord: These were distinguished, older men behaving this way. The reaction of the Sanhedrin seems extreme, but is typical of those who reject God and are lost in spiritual insanity. They wailed in agony and covered their ears at the revelation of God, which they regarded as blasphemy.
It is a dangerous thing to be religious apart from a real relationship with Jesus Christ. This fulfills what Jesus warned about in John 16:2-3: Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
Ran at him: This uses the ancient Greek word hormao. This is the same word used to describe the mad rush of the herd of swine into the sea (Mark 5:13). This was an out-of-control mob rushing at Stephen.
They cast him out of the city and stoned him: The extent of their rage was shown by their execution of Stephen, which was done without regard for Roman law, and which was performed according to traditional Jewish custom (stoning).
The second-century Jewish writing Mishnah, described the practice of stoning: “When the trial is finished, the man convicted is brought out to be stoned…When ten cubits from the place of stoning they say to him, ‘Confess, for it is the custom of all about to be put to death to make confession, and every one who confesses has a share in the age to come’…Four cubits from the place of stoning the criminal is stripped…The drop from the place of stoning was twice the height of a man. One of the witnesses pushes the criminal from behind, so that he falls face downward. He is then turned over on his back. If he dies from this fall, that is sufficient. If not, the second witness takes the stone and drops it on his heart. If this causes death, that is sufficient; if not, he is stoned by all the congregation of Israel.” (Cited in F.F. Bruce)
And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul: Saul stood there as the supervisor of the operation. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he had also approved of Stephen’s execution.
Young man literally means, “a man in his prime.” It certainly does not mean that Saul wasn’t old enough to be a member of the Sanhedrin. In Acts 26:10, Paul says I cast my vote against them, and the plain implication was that he had a vote as a member of the Sanhedrin.
Of course, with Saul (Paul), we have an eyewitness to the words of Stephen, what he saw in his vision, and what he says as he dies. I also think that the commentary about the dangers of being religious without being in a real relationship with Jesus are important. These members of the Sanhedrin thought that they were doing a real service to the people of Israel and for God by killing a man that they considered blasphemous. This action kicks off the zealous persecution of the new church.
Stephen calls out for the Lord to receive his spirit and then falls on his knees, asking that they be forgiven for what they are doing (do not charge them with this sin). I really think this commentary from Enduring Word has an interesting insight into his prayer:
They stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Stephen’s life ended in the same way it had been lived: In complete trust in God, believing that Jesus would take care of him in the life to come.
“The fires… in the olden days never made martyrs; they revealed them. No hurricane of persecution ever creates martyrs; it reveals them. Stephen was a martyr before they stoned him. He was the first martyr to seal his testimony with his blood.” (G. Campbell Morgan)
Lord, do not charge them with this sin: God answered Stephen’s prayer, and used it to touch the heart of a man who energetically agreed with his stoning – even though the man didn’t know the prayer was being answered. When we get to heaven, we should thank Stephen for every blessing brought through the ministry of Saul of Tarsus.
God heard Stephen’s prayer, and Paul is the evidence of it. We have no idea how greatly God can use us in our times of suffering.
Augustine said, “If Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have had Paul.”
Cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin”: Stephen displayed the same forgiving attitude that Jesus had on the cross (Luke 23:34). He asked God to forgive his accusers, and he made the promises loudly and publicly.
If the gospels contain that which Jesus began to do and to teach, they also only contain that which Jesus began to suffer. There was a sense in which Jesus suffered along with Stephen as he was martyred.
Saul, in spite of his zealotry, is probably turning these words over and over in his mind. As we will see soon as we continue through Acts, the prayer is answered with the designation of Paul as one of the finest evangelists for Jesus.
I have often wondered if I have the “stuff” of true martyrdom. I’m not talking about having to suffer from nasty words or losing friendships over belief. Would I have the courage to stand before my accusers as they plan on killing me (or worse, torturing me and then killing me) and stay true to the Lord? This self-assessment is an important one, especially in this day and age of growing hatred for Christianity. The words and attitudes against belief will most likely become actions. I found this story on Precept Austin and felt it was worth sharing; it comes from a book by Robert Morgan about inspiring stories about believers:
The Boxer Rebellion in China was the largest massacre of Protestant missionaries in history, with 188 adults and children being killed. Thirty thousand Chinese Christians also perished during the summer of 1900 at the hands of the Boxers. Among them was Chang Shen, the best known evangelist in Manchuria.
Chang had been a notorious character prior to his conversion—a gambler, thief, and womanizer. At midlife he lost his eyesight, and neighbors considered it a judgment from God. Hearing of a missionary hospital in a distant area, Chang traveled hundreds of miles only to find all the beds full. The hospital chaplain kindly gave him his own bed, and over time, doctors partially restored Chang’s vision. In the process they introduced him to Jesus Christ.
When Chang asked for baptism, missionary James Webster told him, “Go home and tell your neighbors you have changed. I’ll visit you later, and if you are still following Jesus, I will baptize you.” When Webster arrived in Chang’s village five months later, he found hundreds of inquirers.
Chang’s eyesight didn’t last, but his evangelistic zeal did. He traveled from village to village, winning hundreds to Christ. Missionaries followed in his wake, baptizing and organizing churches of the converts he had won.
When he was finally arrested by the Boxers, he was put in an open cart and driven to a nearby graveyard while singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know. …” At the cemetery, he was shoved into a kneeling position. Three times he uttered the words of Stephen, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then the sword sliced through his neck like a knife through butter.
The Boxers were so deeply shaken by Chang’s quiet authority that they had his body drenched in oil and burned, so as to prevent, they thought, his resurrection. But still apprehensive, they retreated from the area altogether, thus saving other Christians from being butchered to death. (Robert Morgan - From this Verse)
This book may be worth purchasing! It is always inspiring to read about the power of God’s word and how it affects those who truly believe.
My next devotional examines Acts 8:1-3, Saul persecutes the church.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I pray that I am a believer of conviction and that I know that it is better to die for something (You) than live for nothing. Please help me learn the lessons from Stephen: Deep faith, biblical knowledge, love of Jesus, forgiveness of mortal enemies. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Enduring Word commentary by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 9/18/2024 to answer the question, “Who is the Son of Man?”
Precept Austin was accessed on 9/18/2024 to review commentary for Acts 7:54-60.