Acts 6:9-15
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the
Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as
well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men
began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not
stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say,
“We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of
the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false
witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy
place and against the law. 14 For
we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and
change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked
intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%206:%209%20-15&version=NIV1984)
Jealousy, it was the cause of
Jesus crucifixion and now the death of Stephen.
Why were they jealous? They saw Jesus
as a threat and they saw Stephen as a threat.
Jesus always had and answer and Stephen did as well. I have always liked this passage for some
reason and I think it is because I can see a lot of Jesus in Stephen.
Stephen was one of the seven who
were chosen to “wait tables”. Somehow I
don’t believe that Stephen “only” waited tables. It is recorded that he did “great wonders and
miraculous signs”, just like Jesus did.
Some Jews argued with Stephen but
Stephen was full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit and he always had an answer for
them that they could not argue against, again, just like Jesus. Because of this, they became jealous and
plotted to kill him, just like Jesus.
Now let’s skip several verses because I want you to read the rest of
Stephen’s life.
Acts 7:51-60
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
51 “You stiff-necked people, with
uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like
your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet
your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the
coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the
law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”
54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 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. 56 “Look,”
he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of
God.”
57 At this they covered their
ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile,
the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man
named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him,
Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not
hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he
fell asleep.
Wow, Stephen spoke up and told
these people that they were “stiff-necked” just like Jesus did! The verses I skipped, important as they are,
were the words of Stephen as he gave a history lesson regarding the Jewish
people. I find it interesting that even
though Stephen was called to “wait tables” he was also a very gifted speaker,
he performed other miraculous signs, and he did not stop talking about the hope
of salvation until his very death. At
his death, he repeated words of Jesus by asking the Father to forgive them
because they did not know what they were doing.
The Father did forgive at least one of those and I believe many more as
we have the account further in Acts of the conversion of a young man Saul who watched
and held the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death.
I love the picture painted here
of Stephen as it says he looked up to Heaven and saw the Glory of God. In his deepest trouble, when men took the
words he said and became angry at him, he looked up into Heaven and saw the
Glory of God. This is the challenge put
before me today. When troubles come my
way, when opposition stands in my way, I need to pray for the wisdom of God and
for the Holy Spirit to fill me so that I can look up to Heaven rather than down
at my feet. I need to always be
empowered by the one who saved me and I should always strive to live like
Him. It is not impossible to live as
Stephen did because we all have the gift of the Holy Spirit if we know our
risen Lord. We all have the choice to
make, do we call on Jesus or do we call on others. Do we please God or do we please man?
As you seek Him today, may you
find the peace of Stephen through whatever trials may come your way.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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