First Martyr



Acts 7:54-8:1
54Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.
55But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
56And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
58Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
8:1And Saul approved of his execution.

We are living in a time when martyrdom is not rare. Just writing that sentence seems surreal. We’re supposed to be beyond that by now, right? But we’re not. Daily Christians are being killed for holding onto their faith. In most corners of the world that doesn’t seem possible but we are hearing a different story across social media and in the news. In our reading for today we learn of the first leader in the Church to die for his faith.

Stephen has delivered a stirring and blistering sermon. The temple leaders handle him the same way they handled Jesus. They kill him. But even in his death we are inspired for there are so many wonderful details to this story. Let’s expand this passage a little and see what makes Stephen famous.


1. The temple leaders grind their teeth at Stephen. The only other people who are described as grinding or “gnashing” their teeth are those found in hell. These leaders become like people from hell. The level of their hatred couldn’t be stated in terms any stronger than that.
 
2. Jesus is standing at the right hand of God. Upon His Ascension Jesus was seated at the Father’s right hand but here He actually stands in order to receive Stephen into heaven. That just blows my mind.
 
3. Saul, who we later come to know as the Apostle Paul, is there giving his approval to the proceedings.
 
4. Stephen calls out to God asking for forgiveness for those who murder him! That’s an amazing thing to think about with your last thoughts.
 
5. It would appear that Stephen is rescued from the horror of his death because the he simply “falls asleep.” God is gracious, if that is indeed how we can read this.

When the details are highlighted we can see that the death of a saint (believer) is something to be noted for God. The Psalmist tells us the same thing in Psalm 116:15. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Here we see that is true as the Lord rises to greet Stephen. We have not yet been called upon to actually die for our faith and chances are great that we will not. But here we are given a glimpse into the vast love that the Lord has for each of us and we can live in that love every single moment that we are alive.

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