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Acts 8:1-2
‘On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.’
This section of the Book of Acts is the final act in the death of the first martyr for Jesus Christ. Stephen has made a long speech which basically outlines the failures of the nation of Israel in their call to live as God’s people. As he finishes his speech Stephen sees a vision of heaven, where the Son of Man, Jesus, is seated at God’s right hand.
Stephen was originally arrested and told to give an account on charges of blasphemy. As he describes seeing Jesus at God’s right hand the crowd who have ‘arrested’ him are left with a decision. If Stephen is right then they too must live for Jesus because living for God means living for Jesus. If they decide Stephen is wrong, then this really is blaspheme. The crowd are forced to make a decision, it is them who stand accused.
They make their decision, and in a fit of rage, they, who under Roman rule have no real power to execute someone, rush to stone Stephen to death. Stephen goes the way of his master Jesus Christ, and we are reminded that his death, like Jesus’, involves spiritual forces too. The angry mob lay cloaks at the feet of Saul who is heavily involved firstly in the stratagem against the advancement of the kingdom of God before his dramatic conversion.
Stephen’s death seems alien to those who know the privilege of being Christian in the western world. Even as western society becomes increasingly post-Christian, stories of dying for one’s faith seem foreign. In our society where faith is marginalized it might be understood of why we might die for a good cause, but not faith.
Stephen knew his life belonged to God, so Stephen did not take his life, but he was prepared to give it. Everyday we make decisions based on the fact that we are followers of Jesus Christ, are those decisions based the fact that we have given our lives to God? Because if we don’t sometimes stand out and look different because of our faith it may be that we are not following Christ closely enough.
