The Martyrdom of Stephen

Scripture reading: Acts 7:54-60

Acts 7:54–60 ESV

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed 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.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “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 when he had said this, he fell asleep.

In this passage, Deacon Stephen is put on trial by the high priest and the Sanhedrin Council. He has been set up by the enemy and attacked with false accusations.

Acts 6:13–14 ESV

and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”

Now, most people would simply defend themselves, deny the accusations, and launch a defamation countersuit. That’s the norm. Get justice for yourself.

But Stephen doesn’t do that. Instead, he preaches about the historic stubbornness of the Israelites in the face of God.

His point is this. There was always a prophet, a leader, a bringer of God’s Word, in every part of Israel’s history. But in every part, there are those who reject the Word and persecute the messenger.

Abraham received the Word, but Terah rejected it.

Joseph received the revelation, but his brothers rejected it.

Moses received the calling, but the Israelites rejected him.

Jesus brought the Word, but they rejected Him and crucified Him.

The common thing between Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus is that they sought to obey God’s Word without seeking justice for themselves.

Abraham abandoned everything to follow God, and he went into Canaan. But God didn’t fulfil His promise during Abraham’s lifetime. Doesn’t that seem a little unfair?

Acts 7:4–5 ESV

4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5 Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child.

And even later, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, he obeyed quickly without complaint. And his obedience brought forward God’s redemptive work.

Joseph was sold by his brothers into Egypt, but he didn’t seek justice for himself later on. Instead of punishing or killing his brothers, he invited the whole family to stay in Egypt (Acts 7:13-15).

Moses was rejected by the Israelites at the age of 40. They betrayed him and forced Moses into exile for 40 years in the wilderness. But when God called him to deliver the Israelites from slavery, Moses obeyed. And he gave his entire life to bring the Israelites into the promised land, even though he himself couldn’t enter in.

Jesus brought the Word to them and faithfully fulfilled His ministry without seeking justice for himself. Rather, He bore the wrath of God, the justice of God, in our place.

And now Stephen is falsely accused, but he stays the course. He doesn’t defend himself. His heart was pure, singularly focused on God and not on himself. And in such purity of heart, he saw the heavens opened and the Lord Jesus, standing at the right hand of the Father.

Matthew 5:8 ESV

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Christianity is about seeing God, and living in the sight of God. And it is this sight of God, this glimpse of heaven, that loosens our grip on our lives, our ambitions, our hopes and dreams. It is this singular focus on the heavens that gives us courage in the midst of trials.

Stephen doesn’t fight back. He doesn’t defend himself. When they’re throwing rocks at him, he cries out not for vengeance, but for forgiveness. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Until the very end, his focus wasn’t on his life, his pain, or even his innocence. His focus was on the glory of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scottish pastor Oswald Chambers said this.

“Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are a matter of indifference. We have to sit loosely to all these things. If we do not, there will be panic and heartbreak and distress.

When we are on Jesus Christ’s errands, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, ‘Do not be bothered with whether you are being justly dealt with or not.’ To look for justice is a sign of deflection from devotion to Him.

Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will begin to grouse and to indulge in the discontent of self-pity – ‘Why should I be treated like this?’

Jesus says – ‘Go steadily on with what I have told you to do and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from my deliverance.’ The most devout among us become atheistic in this connection; we do not believe God.”

Sometimes we feel we deserve to be treated better. To be appreciated more. To be recognized and respected. And maybe it is something we deserve. But if we fixate upon these things, we become angry, irritated, and distracted from the true reason behind our service.

Jonah was fixated on justice for the wicked Ninevites, while ignoring the fact that God spared him from death in the ocean. How deep was his anger.

The unforgiving servant was fixated on receiving full payment from his fellow servant, while ignoring the enormous debt he owed to his master. He burned with rage.

But as Stephen’s body was broken by rocks, he was cool blue. A sea of glass. Green pastures and quiet waters.

And as his legs gave way, he fell on his knees and prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” He had not forgotten the mercy he received from God. Let us pray that neither do we.

The God of Stephen doesn’t hold our actions against us. So should we hold other people’s actions against them? Should we burn with self-indignation when we are slighted?

May we not seek justice for ourselves in this way. May we turn the other cheek. May we let go of our rights, because God let go of His. And I pray that as we do so, the heavens will open and we will behold the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly places.