17  The First  Christian Martyr (7:54-8:1a)

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 they rushed upon him with one impulse. And 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. And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. (7:54–8:1a)

In the spring of 1521, a Roman Catholic monk and professor of theology was summoned to appear before Emperor Charles V and the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire. For the previous few years, Martin Luther had fearlessly criticized the abuses of the Roman Church. His criticisms had fanned into flame the long-smoldering resentments of the German people toward Rome. Determined to put an end to the popular religious uprising Luther had sparked, the young Emperor summoned him to Worms, where the Diet would convene. There he would stand trial, and if convicted, he faced execution. Luther’s friend Spalatin warned him against going to Worms, although he had a safe conduct pass from the Emperor. A century earlier, John Hus had been burned at the stake at the Council of Constance, his safe conduct pass notwithstanding. In reply, Luther wrote that he would enter Worms in spite of the “gates of hell and the powers of darkness,” even if there were “as many devils in it as there were tiles on the roofs of the houses” (Harold J. Grimm, The Reformation Era [New York: Macmillan, 1954], 137). He appeared before the Diet and refused to recant what he had written. He would take back nothing, he asserted, that his accusers could not prove wrong from Scripture:

Fifteen hundred years earlier, a miracle-working servant of Christ stood trial for his life. Like Luther, Stephen stood solidly on the rock of divine revelation. And like Luther, his bold stand was to change the course of history. His speech in his own defense was a masterful recounting of Israel’s history. In it he ably defended himself, and by extension all Christians, against the false charges that he had blasphemed God, Moses, the law, and the temple. Faithful evangelist Stephen then went on the offensive, closing his speech with a blistering denunciation of the Sanhedrin’s hypocrisy. By so doing, he turned the tables on his accusers. It was they, not him, who stood convicted of blasphemy.

The concluding verses of chapter 7 record the last moments of Stephen’s life. For unlike Luther, who was spirited away to safety by Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony, Stephen was to pay for his boldness with his life. It is a dramatic, moving passage. Although he was killed, Stephen was not the victim, he was the victor. Death merely ushered Stephen into the presence of his Lord. Most of the murdering mob (with the notable exception of young Saul of Tarsus), though they lived on, would perish eternally.

A stark contrast between Stephen and his murderers weaves its way through this brief passage. So extreme is the contrast that it can be said to symbolize the contrast between heaven and hell. That contrast may be viewed from four angles: It is the contrast between being filled with anger and being filled with the Spirit, between spiritual blindness and spiritual sight, between death and life, and between hate and love.

FILLED WITH ANGER VERSUS
FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

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, (7:54–55a)

The Sanhedrin had no doubt listened to the earlier part of Stephen’s speech with interest and agreement. After all, he was merely reciting the nation’s history—a topic dear to their hearts. But as his drift became increasingly clear, they began to grow uncomfortable. And when they heard Stephen’s outright castigation of them in verses 51–53, they were cut to the quick. Diapriō (cut to the quick) literally means “to saw in half.” Stephen’s words ripped apart the veneer of their false spirituality and exposed them for the blasphemous hypocrites they were.

Infuriated rather than broken in repentance by Stephen’s words, they began gnashing their teeth at him. That act expressed their rage and frustration (cf. Pss. 35:16; 37:12), and reminds us of a generation of obstinate sinners to come. When the angels pour out the bowls of God’s wrath and judgment during the Tribulation, sinners then will also stubbornly refuse to repent:

Even the severest judgments ever to hit the earth will not cause obstinate sinners to repent. Three times in the above passage they show their anger toward God by blaspheming Him.

Stephen’s hearers seem just as resistant and callous toward the truth. This was at least the third time they had heard the gospel presented (cf. 4:8ff.; 5:27ff.), yet their anger escalated and they continued to harden their hearts. It is a sobering reality that when men persist in willfully hardening their hearts, God may step in and judicially harden them. The apostle Paul warned such people, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will keep on hearing, but you will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but you will not perceive”’” (Acts 28:25–26). Of Israel he wrote,

Similarly, after Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his own heart, God hardened it (cf. Ex. 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34 with Ex. 10:1; 11:10). Well does the writer of Hebrews warn,

The Sanhedrin had heard the truth. They had heard Jesus’ teaching and witnessed His miracles. They also had heard the preaching of the apostles and seen the miracles they performed. Because of their continual rejection, Stephen did not give them another invitation but an indictment—one that filled them with rage. They gnashed their teeth that day, and perhaps most of them are doing that same thing today in hell. Their action previewed what they would be doing through all eternity. Jesus repeatedly described hell as a place where there is gnashing of teeth. In Matthew 13:41–42 He warned that “the Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” He warned the unbelieving Jews that “many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:11–12; cf. Matt. 13:50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). The suffering of hell will include the endless anger and frustration of those people who will forever feel both intense conviction for their damning sin and anger toward God. People who reject God’s grace and love will not feel remorse under His judgment. In fact, that will only make them angrier.

In sharp contrast, Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. Amid the storm of fury that howled around him, Stephen remained calm, totally yielded to the Spirit’s control. Huparchō (being) “properly [expresses] continuance of an antecedent state or condition” (G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1977], 457), a meaning reinforced by its use here in the present tense. Being filled with the Spirit was a way of life for Stephen (cf. 6:3, 5; Eph. 5:18). Consequently, he didn’t have to make any adjustments in his life when his time came to face death.

The Spirit produces the fruit of godly living in believers’ daily lives. But, as He did for Stephen, He also does provide special grace and strength in times of crisis. “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities,” Jesus told His followers, “do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11–12). Peter wrote, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). The Spirit grants grace to persecuted believers, enabling them to glorify God in their deaths. Stephen was the prototype for countless thousands of Christian martyrs whose deaths have confirmed that truth.

Christians, then, must not shy away from difficult situations. Like Paul, they can say, “I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). They must boldly communicate Christ in all circumstances, knowing that the Holy Spirit will grant them the grace to face the consequences triumphantly and with joy and peace.

SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS AND SPIRITUAL SIGHT

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 they rushed upon him with one impulse. (7:55b–57)

A Spirit-filled believer keeps “seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). In the midst of his circumstances, Stephen gazed intently into heaven. He was looking for Jesus (cf. 1:10, 11), and he did not look in vain. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Stephen was one of the few in Scripture blessed with a glimpse into heaven, along with Isaiah (Isa. 6:1–3), Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:26–28), Paul (2 Cor. 12:2–4), and John (Rev. 4:1ff.). God opened Stephen’s eyes to see the blazing Shekinah glory that revealed the presence of God the Father, with Jesus standing at His right hand. To him was granted the privilege of being the first to see Jesus (before Paul and John) in His glorified state after His ascension.

Elsewhere in the New Testament, Jesus is described as being seated at the right hand of God (Matt. 22:44; 24:64; Luke 22:69; Acts 2:34; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 10:11–12; 12:2). He is seated in terms of His redemptive work, which is forever completed (Heb. 10:12). Stephen sees Jesus standing to show His concern for him. He also stands to welcome Stephen into heaven.

So enthralled was Stephen with his beatific vision that he burst out, Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. For the Sanhedrin, such a statement was the last straw, their tolerance for this blasphemer was exhausted. Stephen’s use of the phrase Son of Man may have been the sharpest dagger, because it took them back to the trial of another prisoner. Like Stephen, Jesus was accused of blasphemy by false witnesses, yet He kept silent. Finally, in frustration, the high priest demanded that He speak: “‘I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matt. 26:63–64). For that so-called blasphemy of claiming to be the Son of God and Son of Man who would sit on God’s right hand, they had executed Jesus. Stephen’s vision and words describing who he saw throws that claim Jesus made right back in their faces. Jesus claimed He would be at the right hand of God; Stephen now asserts that He is there! They must either execute Stephen too or admit they were wrong when they had Jesus murdered.

The Sanhedrin chose to silence the truth by killing Stephen. Crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears (so as not to hear any further blasphemy) and rushed upon Stephen with one impulse. Thus did they prove true the Lord Jesus Christ’s description of them as “blind guides of the blind” (Matt. 15:14; cf. Matt. 23:16, 24). They continued in the sorry tradition of their fathers by rejecting yet another of God’s messengers to them. And having rejected and killed the Messiah, it is not surprising that they reject and kill one of His most faithful heralds.

Luke’s choice of hormaō (rushed) vividly portrays the Sanhedrin’s fury. It is the word used to describe the mad rush of the herd of demon-possessed swine into the Sea of Galilee (Mark 5:13; Matt. 8:32). It is also used in Acts 19:29 to describe the frenzied mob that rushed into the theater at Ephesus. To put it in terms of modern English vernacular, they lost it. Casting aside dignity and propriety, the highest court in Israel was reduced to a howling, murderous mob.

DEATH AND LIFE

And 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. And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”(7:58–59)

Commentators disagree over whether Stephen was slaughtered by mob violence or legally executed. The scene lends itself to the former interpretation, as does the Sanhedrin’s lack of authority to carry out death sentences (John 18:31). The details of Stephen’s death, however, show they attempted to hold on to some features of legality. They did not stone Stephen until they had driven him out of the city. That was in keeping with the injunction of Leviticus 24:14. Further, stoning was the punishment for blasphemy according to Leviticus 24:16. Before they began stoning Stephen, the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Deuteronomy 17:7 commanded that the witnesses be the first to throw stones at the accused. Perhaps the false witnesses did.

Despite their anger, the Sanhedrin apparently tried to give Stephen’s death the appearance of formal justice. It is true that the Romans reserved the right of capital punishment for themselves. Pilate, however, was still governor, and the Sanhedrin knew they had nothing to fear from him. He had proved his vacillating weakness in permitting the execution of Jesus, whom he knew was innocent. But he had Him killed anyway, because he feared the Jews would cause him to lose his position as governor (cf. John 19:1–18). In spite of his efforts, he was in serious trouble with Rome, which would shortly recall him as governor. Also, he normally lived in Caesarea, not Jerusalem, and hence was probably nowhere near this scene.

It is doubtful, however, that the full procedure for execution by stoning prescribed in the Mishna was carried out in Stephen’s case. That procedure called for the victim to be pushed off a ten-foot high parapet. If that did not kill him, the first witness dropped a large stone on his heart. In the unlikely event that he survived that, the second witness then dropped another stone on him. It is highly unlikely that Stephen would have been in any condition to speak if that had been done in his case (cf. vv. 59–60). More likely is the scene of uncontrollable angry people pushing, shoving, and throwing rocks at random at Stephen. It should be noted from Acts 8:2 that they did not follow the legally prescribed manner of burial given in the Talmud, adding more evidence that the whole affair was illegal.

The mention of a young man named Saul marks a major turning point in salvation history. This, of course, was the man more commonly known to history as Paul the apostle. He makes here his first appearance in Acts and becomes the dominant figure from chapter 13 to the end of the book. For now, however, he has only a cameo role, keeping watch over the clothes of Stephen’s executioners. His position up front where the action was suggests he was deeply involved in the whole wicked affair. In any case, Stephen’s profound and powerful sermon, as well as his calmness and forgiving love for his killers, made a lasting impression on Saul (cf. Acts 22:30). Seeds of his own startling conversion were surely planted that day.

The mob went on with the grisly work of stoning Stephen. As death approached, he called upon the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” His cry echoed that of our Lord on the cross, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), with one major exception: Jesus committed Himself to the Father, Stephen to the Lord Jesus. That he did so testifies to the deity of Christ, whom he obviously regarded as equal to the Father.

This confession of Stephen indicates that he expected to enter the Lord’s presence as soon as he died. The Bible does not teach any delay at all between life here and in heaven, either some holding place such as purgatory or some unconscious state called soul-sleep. Instead, Scripture teaches that believers enter Christ’s presence immediately following death (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). Our Lord promised the thief on the cross that He would take him to Paradise (the abode of God and the righteous) that very day (Luke 23:43). His parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) taught that the dead are never unconscious or unaware of their circumstances. Revelation 6:9—11 describes the Tribulation martyrs as awake in divine presence and able to plead with the Lord for vengeance on their murderers.

Stephen’s confident prayer was answered. Upon his death, he was ushered immediately into the presence of the Lord he had so faithfully served.

HATE AND LOVE

And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. (7:60–8:1a)

The mob poured out their hatred on Stephen by stoning him mercilessly. His heart, in contrast, was filled only with love for them. Amid the flying stones, Stephen fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” As had his beloved Lord before him, Stephen pleaded for God’s forgiveness on behalf of his executioners. He was praying for their salvation, since that is the only way God forgives sin. The death of the prophet Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, provides an instructive comparison. Second Chronicles 24:20–22 describes his murder:

Like Stephen, Zechariah was unjustly put to death. Unlike Stephen, however, his dying prayer was for justice and vengeance, not forgiveness.

Only Christians can love as Stephen did, “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).

Having finished his petition, Stephen fell asleep. Peacefully, calmly he slipped into the presence of his Lord. Unquestionably, his Master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful slave … enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21). Sleep is a lovely way to describe the death of a believer. It is painless and temporary and takes one from the experience of weariness, work, and consciousness of all the problems of life to the freshness of a new day (cf. John 11:11–12; 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:14; 5:10).

Luke closes his account of Stephen’s life with a very important footnote. He reminds us again of Saul’s presence, noting that Saul was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death. By his own confession Saul was “the chief of sinners” with murderous intent toward all believers in Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 1:13–15). That murderous hate was evident here. As already noted, Stephen’s bold preaching, and especially his calm courage and forgiving love in the face of death, profoundly affected Saul as his later testimony in Acts 22:20 acknowledges. From Stephen’s influence came Paul, and from death-dealing Saul God made Paul, whose life-bringing gospel penetrated the entire Roman world, forever altering the course of history. As Augustine put it, “If Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have had Paul.”

Both in life and in death, Stephen was so much like his Lord. Jesus was filled with the Spirit, so was Stephen. Jesus was full of grace, so was Stephen. Jesus boldly confronted the religious establishment of his day, so did Stephen. Jesus was convicted by lying witnesses, so was Stephen. Jesus had a mock trial, so did Stephen. Jesus was executed though innocent of any crime, so was Stephen. Both were accused of blasphemy. Both died outside the city and were buried by sympathizers. And as already noted, both prayed for the salvation of their executioners. Was there ever a man more like Jesus?