The First Evangelist
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Context
Context
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
‘And Stephen’… this is a continuation from . Stephen, a Greek-speaking (Hellonistic) Jew was one of the 7 Jews appointed to oversee the daily distribution and ensure the churches outreach to the poor and needy modelled the Gospel. In verse 7 we see the result of that decision. Here Luke again singles out one of the 7, Stephen c.f.
Acts 6:3
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
All of this is leading into what Luke wants to tell us in Chapter 7.
Target
Target
Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
May be more than one synagogue but probably just one. Hellenistic Synagogue for ex-slaves (or children thereof, many Jews had been enslaved by the Romans and had achieved their freedom), Cyrenians (Shahhat in modern day Libya, Mediterranean coast of North Africa), Alexandrians (also on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast), Cilicia (the Mediterranean coast of modern day Turkey) which contained Tarsus, from where we will meet Saul in , who will become Paul (c.f. ).
It is almost certain that the Apostle Paul was a member of the Synagogue mentioned, and that Gamaliel (who we met last time in ) presided over it (c.f. ).
Acts
But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
You can’t win a debate with God! But even saying all the right things will not always prevent attack
Promised Persecution
Promised Persecution
Acts 6:11-
Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 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.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,
When they couldn’t argue with Stephen’s Wisdom, they turned to stirring up false accusations to silence him. Just as they did to Jesus, they now did to those who followed Him.
When they couldn’t argue with Stephen’s Wisdom, they turned to stirring up false accusations to silence him. Just as they did to Jesus, they now did to those who followed Him.
Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.
They accused Jesus, and now Stephen, of Blasphemy as the punishment was death:
and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be clear to them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
Then they brought false witnesses
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.”
Just as there were a Jesus’ trial:
Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ”
For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,
This fulfills Jesus’ promise
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
John
Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple, and clearly Stephen has repeated that. It would occur in 70 AD (~40 years later) during the Siege of Jerusalem by the Romans:
And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Luke
John tells us Jesus also explained the allusion to his own death and resurrection:
but John tells us Jesus was alluding to his own body:
John
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Notice, Jesus never claimed to destroy the temple! Instead, God would allow it’s destruction, and Jesus would replace it. This is a sign of the new covenant.
God with us
God with us
Despite the false accusations, the lies, the persecution, Stephen would be full of the Holy Spirit, such as that it did not go unnoticed:
And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.