But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see Heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56 (Acts 6-7)
As the church grew, so did its resources. What a lovely thing to have so much to share both spiritually and physically. BUT! There was dispute over the dispersion of assistance among the widowed and orphaned Jews of Jerusalem and the non Palestinian Jews, specifically the Greeks. Those who knew Jesus personally and witnessed His miraculous life were needed to spread the Gospel, so seven trustees were selected, among them, Stephen, a brilliant scholar and orator, to administrate the growing community of believers. This act increased the growth of the early church significantly.
There was regional prejudice among Jews in addition to resistance to the New Covenant and the Christ. Opposition to Stephen’s work grew. He was brought before the same counsel that condemned Jesus to death and like Jesus, he was wrongly accused of blasphemy. Stephen’s defense against those who had been paid to give false testimony was a recital of Old Testament, Jewish History, read in Acts 7:1-19. His face shown like an Angel as he spoke. He pointed to Jewish leadership’s habitual rejection and persecution of God’s prophets and teachers. As he pointed to their sin of injustice in Jesus’ crucifixion the authority became furious and ordered Stephen to be stoned.
Stephen knew his end was near and so, he kept his eyes on Jesus. He repeated the words of Christ, “Don’t hold this sin against them.” Grace and Mercy were not just the words he spoke, but the life he lived and died. As Heaven opened and Stephen met his Savior, Saul, a young pharisee, soon to be brutal persecutor, was watching the church’s first martyr stand firm. Quite possibly, Saul witnessed both Jesus’ and Stephen’s corrupt trials and executions and his heart became ready to receive the vision on the road to Damascus that changed the course of Christianity for all time. Did Stephen’s sacrifice change the world? Yes, and yours will too, guaranteed!
Love,
Gretchen