On the day after the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, we honor the life of St. Stephen, deacon and first martyr.
St. Stephen was one of the seven deacons, chosen from
men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom and ordained by the twelve Apostles, to
meet the rapidly increasing pastoral needs of the nascent Church (Acts 6:1-7).
Being full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5;
7:55), as well as, God’s grace and power, Stephen performed great wonders and
miraculous signs (Acts 6:8). Though this certainly drew opposition against him,
some diaspora Jews who debated with him could not withstand Stephen’s
wisdom-filled argument, as it is from the Holy Spirit, who spoke through him
(Acts 6:9-10). Then, these “losers” of the debate spread a false accusation
against Stephen, saying that they heard him speaking words of blasphemy against
Moses and against God (Acts 6:11). Furthermore, they stirred up people with
their false rumor about Stephen’s “blasphemy”, they made false witness against
Stephen to the Sanhedrin saying, “This
man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. For we have
heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change
the customs that Moses handed down to us” (Acts 6:12-14).
The way Stephen was accused falsely by those who lost
their faced in debating with Stephen (Acts 6:8-15) evokes the way Jesus was
falsely accused (Matthew 26:57-68). Those who had wanted kill Jesus also
accused him of blasphemy (e.g. John 5:18; 10:33; 19:7). It was out of their
envy that religious leaders pressed a false charge against Jesus when they
brought to be tried by Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:18//Mark 15:10). As is the
case with Jesus, Stephen was falsely accused by those who could not accept the truth
of God. And Stephen pointed out his accuser’s serious problem with the truth in
his response to the chief priest’s question, if the charge against him was true
(Acts 7:1-53). He did not give a direct answer to the high priest’s question
but gave his defense for Christ’s teaching, not for himself, and rebuked the
Sanhedrin for rejecting Christ and his teaching in the extensive context of Judaism.
To Stephen’s eloquent testimony to Christ and his
truth, the Sanhedrin was infuriated (Acts 7:54). But Stephen remained filled
with the Holy Spirit and saw Christ standing at the right hand of God through
heaven’s opening as he looked up and said:
Behold, I see the heavens opened and the
Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 6:55-56).
Then, his accusers covered their ears and rushed on
him and began stoning him (Acts 6:57-58).
While being stoned, Stephen called out:
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do
not hold this sin against them (Acts 6:59-60).
With the above words, Stephen became the first known martyr.
These last words of St. Stephen reflect these words of
Christ on the Cross:
Father, forgive them, they know not what
they do (Luke 23:34).
Father, into your hands I commend my
spirit (Luke 23:46).
Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew, one of the first seven
deacons, chosen and ordained by the Apostles. Though he was not an Apostle, he
was able to perform many signs, as the Apostles did. And he became the very
first known martyr because he was falsely accused of blasphemy for speaking of
and for Christ and his truth in a way that nobody can dispute. When the high
priest of the Sanhedrin gave him an opportunity to defend himself on the charge
against him, Stephen chose to defend the legitimacy and the truth of Christ and
his teaching, instead. And his last words during the stoning were like the
words spoken by Christ on the Cross.
Now, what do you make of St. Stephen? How do you see
yourself in relation to St. Stephen and Christ?
It was not Stephen per se. It was, indeed, the Holy Spirit
speaking through Stephen, as he was always filled with the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, the way St. Stephen was is exactly what Jesus said to the disciples
in sending them on mission, like sheep sent amidst wolves (Matthew 10:16):
When they hand you over, do not worry
about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that
moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of
your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and
the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put
to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to
the end will be saved
(Matthew 10:19-22).
Because he was filled with grace and power (Acts 6:8)
because he was fully charged with faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5). Because
of this, he was not afraid of being handed over and killed. For Stephen, it is
Christ and his truth to speak and defend. Not for himself. Thus, his words to
the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:1-53) were those of the Spirit of the Father (Matthew
10:20). Therefore, St. Stephen endured and was saved (Matthew 10:22), having
seen Christ standing at the right hand of God in heaven (Acts 6:55) and his
face looking like that of an angel (Acts 6:15).
When the incarnated Christ was born into your heart,
you began to grow in faith and to let the Holy Spirit fill you. This way, you
may be able to endure tribulation and persecution, to be saved, as exemplified
by St. Stephen.
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