Stephen

Stephen is well-known as one of the first deacons, and the first person to be killed for his faith in Jesus. We often don’t pay much attention to the specific things that he said and the circumstances of his case.

Stephen is described in Acts 6 as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” This was consistent with the requirements the apostles had outlined, that the seven men selected be “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (6:3). He is also described in verse 8 as “a man full of God’s grace and power” who did great wonders and signs among the people.

These characteristics caused Stephen to be opposed by members of a particular synagogue of Jews from the diaspora. These Jews stirred up the elders and teachers to seize Stephen and bring him before the Sanhedrin. Then they produced false witnesses, who claimed that Stephen spoke against the temple and the law.

The text of Acts clearly states that these charges are false, and his testimony is dedicated to proving that. When the high priest asked him, “Are these charges true?”, he could have simply said, “No!” Instead, he goes into a long speech which illustrates his understanding of the faith of Israel.

In his speech, he recounts the call of Abraham, the slavery and deliverance from Egypt, and especially the statement of Moses in Deut. 18:13 that God would raise up a prophet like him in the future. After this he relates the various ways that Israel and its people abandoned the worship of God and turned to worshiping other things.

He does address the charge of speaking against the temple when he states that David wanted to build a “dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built the house for him” (Acts 7:49). Stephen then quotes Isaiah to say that God is too big to be contained in a building.

Stephen then addresses the rebellion of the current group of leaders to whom he is speaking. He says that they are just like their fathers who persecuted and killed the prophets and those who predicted the coming of the Messiah. And he accuses them of being part of the group that betrayed and murdered that promised one, Jesus.

At this point, he turns their accusation of speaking against the law back on them. First, he calls them “stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears.” This is reminiscent of the command God gives to Israel in Deut. 10:16. “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.” What did he mean?

Circumcision was a ritual that God had commanded for every baby boy in Israel as a sign of his covenant with Abraham. It’s not something that can be literally done to the physical heart. The prophet Jeremiah reiterated the need for circumcised hearts in Jer. 4:4 and 9:26. It seems to refer to an internalized love for God, obedience to his commands, and identification with his people.

Stephen hits his accusers even harder with his final words, “You who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.” He accuses his accusers of not obeying the law. This is what got them really angry and led to them stoning him.

His statement, however, sounds very much like that of Jesus in John 7:19 when he said, “Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law.” It’s clearly the view of both Jesus and Stephen that the law should be kept. But it should be kept from the heart, out of love for God and with the help of the Holy Spirit.