Stephen's Martyrdom

Stiff-necked

The Lexham English Bible Chapter 7

54 Now when they* heard these things, they were infuriated in their hearts and gnashed their* teeth at him.

In order to teach on this subject of Stephen’s Martyrdom we must see what happened, or what was said. Stephen was accused of undermining Moses’ law and denying the permanent sanctity of the temple. His sermon is a reply to both charges. Stephen, in essence, said this: in God’s economy both the law of Moses and the temple had served their purposes. Because of that, they had to give way to a more spiritual way of worship .

Jay E. Adams, Acts, The Christian Counselor’s Commentary (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 46–49. Sounds like he asked them to move the piano:) Stephen’s first point was that the original covenant was given to Abraham and not Moses. This was called the spiritual covenant. If this covenant could be acceptable before Moses then why not after? Secondly, Stephen pointed out that God was worshipped acceptably before there was a tabernacle or a temple. Why could He not be worshipped that way afterwards?

Jay E. Adams, Acts, The Christian Counselor’s Commentary (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 49.

Thirdly, Stephen warned the Sanhedrin that they had become like the fathers who persecuted the prophets. They were part of a tradition that consistently opposed God down through the years. As the fathers did, so had they done; except that it was not a mere prophet they persecuted, it was their Messiah Whom they murdered!

Jay E. Adams, Acts, The Christian Counselor’s Commentary (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 49.

The Lexham English Bible Chapter 7

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and* saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Imagine for one moment that you know that the cost of your voice( the words coming out of your mouth) is going to be high, but in the moment of truth you get a revelation or vision from the Heavenly realm. What will you do?

Stephen cries out! 57 But crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and rushed at him with one purpose.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Ac 7:57.

The next act is one that I find difficult to fathom. They drive him out of town. 6 “If your brother, the son of your mother or your son or your daughter ⌊or your wife whom you embrace⌋ or ⌊your intimate friend⌋ in secrecy ⌊says⌋, ‘Let us go and let us serve other gods!’ gods that you and your ancestors have not known, 7 from among the gods of the people who are around you, ⌊those near you or those far from you⌋, from one end of the earth and up to the other end of the earth, 8 you must not give in to him, and you shall not listen to him, and your eye shall not take pity on him, and you shall not have compassion, and you shall not cover up for him. 9 But you shall certainly kill him; your hand shall be first against him to kill him and next the hand of all of the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones and let him die, for he tried to seduce you from Yahweh your God, the one bringing you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 11 And all of Israel shall hear, and they shall fear, and ⌊they shall not continue to act⌋ according to this evil thing in your midst.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 13:6–11.

As we look at the law of Moses we can see that the Jews were justified by the stoning of Stephen. So, what should we gather by this scripture? The thing that I notice is that no where in the Law of Moses did it tell them to force him out of the city so the conclusion I have is that they didn’t want to leave the body in the city to stink up the area that they lived in. 57 But crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and rushed at him with one purpose. 58 And after they* had driven him* out of the city, they began to stone* him,* and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Ac 7:56–58. Here is the process of stoning which I did not know. The method of stoning was as follows. The criminal was taken to a height and thrown down. The witnesses had to do the actual throwing down. If the criminal was killed by the fall, well and good; if not, great boulders were hurled down upon the person until death resulted.

William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 71.

So, perhaps the real reason for driving Stephen out of town was to find a high place to throw him down. Why do we immediately feel bad about what they are doing to Stephen? Because we have sight after the fact (Hindsight). We also see the name Saul brought up perhaps to prepare us for a better understanding about Saul’s journey ahead and his conversion.

Stephen is I believe indwelt by the Spirit and we see his faith pour out to the Jews asking for forgiveness for them. When I look at this I see a problem. In the Mosaic Law the men who stoned Stephen were by law not guilty of murder, so why is there need for forgiveness? 59 And they kept on stoning Stephen as he* was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 And falling to his* knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after he* said this, he fell asleep.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Ac 7:59–60.

Stephen sees this stoning of himself as a sin perhaps because he also sees Jesus sitting at right hand of the father. What should we glean this morning? How can we discern the truth? Do we have the whole story? The one person in this story that had the vision was Stephen and he died for the vision.