Stephen
Stephen is seized and taken before the court.
TEPHEN (6:8–7:1). STEPHEN’S MINISTRY, ARREST, AND TRIAL ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO THE LORD’S.
6:8. Like Christ and the apostles, Stephen was full of God’s grace and power (cf. 4:33; Luke 2:40, 52). Interestingly Stephen was “full of” or controlled by five factors: the Spirit, wisdom, faith, grace, power (Acts 6:3, 5, 8). What an outstanding leader! Furthermore, he did great wonders and miraculous signs (cf. 2:22; Luke 24:19; also cf. Acts 2:43). These evidences of God’s grace were in addition to his responsibilities in the daily ministration to the widows.
6:9–11. The Synagogue of the Freedmen was perhaps comprised of those who themselves or whose forebears had been set free from being prisoners of war or from slavery. Precisely who they were is not known for sure.
The members of this synagogue were from three divergent areas—North Africa (Cyrene and Alexandria were two of its leading cities), Asia (the western portion of modern-day Turkey), and Cilicia. Possibly this was the assembly Paul attended because Tarsus was located in the province of Cilicia.
Besides being one of the Seven and a wonder-worker, Stephen was also a skilled debater. His opponents could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke (cf. “full of the Spirit and wisdom” in v. 3 and “full of … the Holy Spirit” in v. 5 and 7:55).
To remove Stephen, the men of the synagogue covertly induced men to make an accusation against him. Like those who complained against the Lord Jesus, they charged Stephen with blasphemy (cf. Matt. 26:65).
6:12–14. These words were sufficient to arouse the laity and leaders to apprehend Stephen and accuse him before the Sanhedrin. This is the third of four times in Acts when the Lord’s followers stood before this Jewish court; the others were Peter and John (4:15), Peter and the apostles (5:27), and Paul (22:30).
The false witnesses were not necessarily outright liars. Stephen had probably said the things they accused him of; however, they misrepresented the intentions and imports of his statements (cf. Matt. 26:61; Mark 14:58; John 2:19). The Lord Himself predicted the destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:1–2; Mark 13:1–2; Luke 21:5–6), though He never said He would do it. The other half of the allegation against Stephen involved the temporary nature of the Mosaic system. Undoubtedly he saw the theological implications of justification by faith and the fulfillment of the Law in Christ. Furthermore, if the gospel was for the whole world (Acts 1:8), the Law had to be a temporary arrangement.
6:15. All … the Sanhedrin—all 71 of them—looked intently at Stephen to see his response. They saw that his face was like that of an angel. Evidently his face glowed with glory (cf. Moses’ face, Ex. 34:29, 35).
Stephen also knew the power of perseverance
Stephen also knew the power of perseverance! When the mob tore him limb from limb, he was just like Christ—no reviling, no recrimination, no self-defense. Even while on his knees (7:60), he stood tall. Christ’s power enables us to do what we ought and to be what we ought.
Stephen was also a man who shared Christ’s wisdom: “But they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke” (v. 10). The Scriptures use “wisdom” in different ways, but here it carries the idea of insight, just as in Ephesians 1:17 where Paul prays regarding “a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” God had given Stephen a discerning mind and spiritual insight—an important quality we all need.
Death reveals who we really are. Consider the famous French philosopher Voltaire, who used to say concerning Christ, “Curse the wretch.” He also boasted, “In twenty years Christianity will be no more. My single hand shall destroy the edifice it took twelve apostles to rear.” Voltaire was proud, confident, cynical. But when he died, he cried in desperation, “I am abandoned by God and man! I give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months’ life. Then I shall go to hell; and you will go with me. O Christ! O Jesus Christ!”
In contrast, the moment of death also sometimes reveals spiritual beauty. John Wesley died full of counsel, exhortations, and praise for God. His final words were, “The best of all is, God is with us. The best of all is, God is with us. The best of all is, God is with us. Farewell!” Adoniram Judson, the great American missionary to Burma, suffering immensely at death, said to those around, “I go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school, I feel so strong in Christ.” Jonathan Edwards, dying from smallpox, gave some final directions, bid his daughter good-bye, and expired saying, “Where is Jesus, my never-failing friend?”
Acts 6:8–7:60 shows us the final day in the life of a man named Stephen—how he lived, what he said, how he died. Stephen’s death revealed him to be a man whose heart beat with Christ’s to the very last.
Stephen means “a crown” or “a garland.” The Greek word was used for the reward given to a civic leader or to the crown of glory received by a victor in the Olympic Games. What a perfect name for the one who stood so tall on his final day and was crowned with the first Christian martyr’s crown. Stephen’s example shows us how to live and how to die. Never do we see the meaning and worth of life more clearly or more poignantly than in the final moments of a faithful Christian’s life on earth.
Stephen’s example shows us how to live and how to die
Death reveals who we really are
Death reveals who we really are
STEPHEN (Στέφανος, Stephanos). The first Christian martyr. His life and ministry is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:5, 8–15; 7:1–60; 8:2; 11:19; 22:20).
Introduction
Stephen is the first named member of the Hellenists in Acts 6:1 who brought cultural diversity to the Church. This kind of diversity represented obedience to Jesus’ mandate to preach to the nations (Acts 1:8; 11:19–20). Stephen is also the first nonapostle to defend the faith before the Sanhedrin (Acts 6:12) and was the first to be martyred for the faith (Acts 7:57–60).
Stephen as One of the Hellenists (Acts 6:1–7)
In the first five chapters of Acts, Luke portrays the church as ethnically homogeneous and “of one accord” (Acts 1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24; 5:12). However, in Acts 6:1 (Scott, “The Church’s Progress to the Council of Jerusalem,” 209), he identifies two distinct groups in the Church: the Hebrews and the Hellenists (Windisch, “Ἑλλενιστής, Hellenistēs,” 504–16). Luke records that “a grumbling” had arisen among the Hellenists (Spencer, “Neglected Widows in Acts 6:1–7,” 715). Stephen was a member of the Hellenist group (Acts 6:5) and appears to have had a leading role among them.
Stephen and his cohorts were most likely Hellenized, Greek-speaking Jews who became followers of Jesus early in the history of the church (Scroggs, “The Earliest Christian Communities as Sectarian Movement,” 8). All of the Hellenists have Greek names, but Nicolaus is explicitly said to be a proselyte to Judaism (Acts 6:5). This contrast drawn between Nicolaus the proselyte and the rest of the Hellenists indicates that they are probably not uncircumcised Gentiles. More likely, Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora (Hill, Hellenists and Hebrews, 24). Many Jews of the Diaspora returned to Jerusalem and established synagogues in the city (Acts 6:9, 9:29; Philo, Against Flaccus, 43; Josephus, Jewish War 2.80; Antiquities 18.83–84; Tacitus, Annals 2.85). One-third of all ossuaries, or “bone boxes,” dating from the Second Temple period are inscribed in Greek (Hengel, Between Jesus and Paul, 6–7, 55), indicating that many Hellenized Jews had come to make their home in Jerusalem and were eventually buried there.
Stephen Encounters Opposition (Acts 6:8–15)
Stephen faces conflict when Jewish Hellenists of the Diaspora oppose him and his ministry (Acts 6:9). In a manner reminiscent of the trial of Jesus, Stephen is brought before the Sanhedrin (Matt 26:57–61; Mark 14:55–59), where false witnesses charge him with blaspheming Moses, God, and the temple (Acts 6:11, 13). Although the witnesses are false in their intent, the content of their accusations is relevant. Stephen made some kind of reference to Jesus’ teaching about the Law and the future status of the temple (Matt 5:22–48; John 2:19–20).
Jews from many nations resided in Jerusalem in their own “quarters,” and some of these ethnic groups had their own synagogues. The freedmen (“libertines”) were the descendants of Jews who had previously been in bondage but had won their freedom from Rome. Since Paul came from Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 21:39), it is possible that he heard Stephen in the synagogue and may have debated with him. However, nobody could match or resist Stephen’s wisdom and power (see Luke 21:15). Their only alternative was to destroy him.
Their treatment of Stephen parallels the way the Jewish leaders treated Jesus. First, they hired false witnesses to testify against him. Then, they stirred up the people who accused him of attacking the Law of Moses and the temple. Finally, after listening to his witness, they executed him (see Matt. 26:59–62; John 2:19–22).
The Jews were jealous over their Law and could not understand how Christ had come to fulfill the Law and to bring in the new age. They were proud of their temple and refused to believe that God would permit it to be destroyed. Stephen faced the same spiritual blindness that Jeremiah faced in his ministry (see Jer. 7). The church faced the opposition of Jewish tradition for many years to come, from within its own ranks (Acts 15) and from false teachers coming in from the outside (Gal. 2:4).
The enemy surprised Stephen and arrested him while he was ministering (“having came upon him suddenly” is Wuest’s translation of Acts 6:12); and they took him before the same council that had tried Jesus and the Apostles. It was not even necessary for Stephen to speak in order to give witness, for the very glow on his face told everybody that he was a servant of God. Certainly the members of the Sanhedrin would recall Moses’ shining face (Ex. 34:29–30). It was as though God was saying, “This man is not against Moses! He is like Moses—he is My faithful servant!”
A. The martyrdom of Stephen (6:8–8:1a).
1. THE ARREST OF STEPHEN (6:8–7:1). STEPHEN’S MINISTRY, ARREST, AND TRIAL ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO THE LORD’S.
6:8. Like Christ and the apostles, Stephen was full of God’s grace and power (cf. 4:33; Luke 2:40, 52). Interestingly Stephen was “full of” or controlled by five factors: the Spirit, wisdom, faith, grace, power (Acts 6:3, 5, 8). What an outstanding leader! Furthermore, he did great wonders and miraculous signs (cf. 2:22; Luke 24:19; also cf. Acts 2:43). These evidences of God’s grace were in addition to his responsibilities in the daily ministration to the widows.
6:9–11. The Synagogue of the Freedmen was perhaps comprised of those who themselves or whose forebears had been set free from being prisoners of war or from slavery. Precisely who they were is not known for sure.
The members of this synagogue were from three divergent areas—North Africa (Cyrene and Alexandria were two of its leading cities), Asia (the western portion of modern-day Turkey), and Cilicia. Possibly this was the assembly Paul attended because Tarsus was located in the province of Cilicia.
Besides being one of the Seven and a wonder-worker, Stephen was also a skilled debater. His opponents could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke (cf. “full of the Spirit and wisdom” in v. 3 and “full of … the Holy Spirit” in v. 5 and 7:55).
To remove Stephen, the men of the synagogue covertly induced men to make an accusation against him. Like those who complained against the Lord Jesus, they charged Stephen with blasphemy (cf. Matt. 26:65).
6:12–14. These words were sufficient to arouse the laity and leaders to apprehend Stephen and accuse him before the Sanhedrin. This is the third of four times in Acts when the Lord’s followers stood before this Jewish court; the others were Peter and John (4:15), Peter and the apostles (5:27), and Paul (22:30).
The false witnesses were not necessarily outright liars. Stephen had probably said the things they accused him of; however, they misrepresented the intentions and imports of his statements (cf. Matt. 26:61; Mark 14:58; John 2:19). The Lord Himself predicted the destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:1–2; Mark 13:1–2; Luke 21:5–6), though He never said He would do it. The other half of the allegation against Stephen involved the temporary nature of the Mosaic system. Undoubtedly he saw the theological implications of justification by faith and the fulfillment of the Law in Christ. Furthermore, if the gospel was for the whole world (Acts 1:8), the Law had to be a temporary arrangement.
6:15. All … the Sanhedrin—all 71 of them—looked intently at Stephen to see his response. They saw that his face was like that of an angel. Evidently his face glowed with glory (cf. Moses’ face, Ex. 34:29, 35).
Stephen was one of the seven Hellenistic (Greek-speaking, immigrant) Jews enlisted to serve the widows (6:1–6). The Hellenistic Jews were not very popular in Jerusalem, so Stephen’s Hellenistic synagogue had a vested interest in his not making waves. In fact, when Stephen became too hot to handle, it was the Hellenistic Jews who delivered him to the Sanhedrin (v. 9). Moreover, they secretly brought trumped-up charges of blasphemy against him (v. 11). This “court” was the same group that had convicted Jesus. It even had the same high priest. Stephen was as good as dead. But on that final day Stephen was living as Christ would, and that was all that mattered.
The aroma of death permeates this entire passage. Young Stephen was already in the cemetery, if his enemies had their way.
Stephen was one of the seven Hellenistic (Greek-speaking, immigrant) Jews enlisted to serve the widows (6:1–6). The Hellenistic Jews were not very popular in Jerusalem, so Stephen’s Hellenistic synagogue had a vested interest in his not making waves. In fact, when Stephen became too hot to handle, it was the Hellenistic Jews who delivered him to the Sanhedrin (v. 9). Moreover, they secretly brought trumped-up charges of blasphemy against him (v. 11). This “court” was the same group that had convicted Jesus. It even had the same high priest. Stephen was as good as dead. But on that final day Stephen was living as Christ would, and that was all that mattered.
Stephen was also a man who shared Christ’s rejection
“But they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke” (v. 10). The Scriptures use “wisdom” in different ways, but here it carries the idea of insight, just as in Ephesians 1:17 where Paul prays regarding “a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” God had given Stephen a discerning mind and spiritual insight—an important quality we all need
Stephen was also a man who shared Christ’s wisdom
