Stephen: the first martyr

If you know anything about Stephen, it's probably this: he was the first Christian to be killed for his faith, and he forgave the people who killed him. But what was he doing before that?

Stephen's story starts somewhere surprisingly ordinary. In Acts 6, the young church had a problem: some widows were being missed when food was handed out each day. The apostles asked the church to choose seven trustworthy men to sort it out, and Stephen was one of them, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5). The first Christian martyr started out on the food roster. Courage under big pressure usually grows out of faithfulness in small, ordinary things.

What you'll learn

• What happened when Stephen was arrested, what he said, and how he died
• The pattern Stephen saw in Israel's history, and how it points to Jesus
• How Stephen's death mirrors Jesus' death, and where his courage came from

Accused

Stephen was full of grace and power, and his opponents couldn't win an argument with him (Acts 6:8–10). So they changed tactics. They secretly persuaded men to lie about him, stirred up the crowd, and brought false witnesses before the Council. The charges: he was speaking against Moses, God, the temple and the law. Through it all, Stephen was calm. His face looked like the face of an angel (6:15).

When someone can't win an argument today, what do they do instead? Screenshots out of context, pile-ons, rumours. Not much has changed. And this is exactly how Jesus was treated: false witnesses and a charge about the temple (Mark 14:55–58). Jesus had warned that a servant is not greater than his master (John 15:20).

The speech: a pattern of rejected rescuers

The high priest asked Stephen if the charges were true. Stephen answered by retelling Israel's story, from Abraham to Solomon. Look for the pattern:

Stephen was accused of being against Moses. His answer amounts to: "No, I'm with Moses. But you are doing to Jesus exactly what your ancestors did to Moses."

He made a second point about the temple. God met Abraham in Mesopotamia, Joseph in Egypt and Moses at a burning bush in the desert, all far from any temple. God is too great to be boxed into one building (Acts 7:48–50). Stephen wasn't against the temple; he was saying that God is now met in Jesus, anywhere in the world. That was about to matter enormously.

Stephen's final words to the Council were strong (7:51–53). He was a Jewish believer speaking to his own people, just as the Old Testament prophets had. Sadly, passages like this have sometimes been misused to stir up hatred of Jewish people. Jesus, the apostles and Stephen were all Jewish, and Christians must reject antisemitism.

Dying like his Lord

The Council were furious. But Stephen wasn't looking at them:

"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’" (Acts 7:55–56)

At his own trial, Jesus had said the Son of Man would be seated at God's right hand (Luke 22:69). Stephen sees that it's true. But Jesus is standing. Christians suggest different reasons: rising to welcome his servant home, or standing as a witness in Stephen's defence while a human court condemns him. Either way, Stephen is not alone.

Look how closely Stephen's death echoes Jesus' death. Both faced false witnesses and a charge about the temple. Both spoke of the Son of Man at God's right hand. Both were taken outside the city to die. Both handed their spirit over as they died. And both prayed for the people killing them:

"While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:59–60)

Notice three things. Stephen prays to Jesus the way Jesus prayed to the Father; the earliest Christians treated Jesus as Lord and God. Luke describes Stephen's death as falling asleep, a picture Christians use for the death of believers because waking up follows (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14). And notice the source of his forgiveness: Stephen was full of the Spirit and looking at Jesus (7:55) before he prayed for his killers. His courage came from looking up, not looking around.

Ripples

A young man named Saul stood guarding the coats of the people who killed Stephen, and he approved of it (Acts 7:58; 8:1). Persecution then broke out and scattered the church, and the scattered believers told people about Jesus wherever they went (8:1–4). Soon Saul met the risen Jesus himself. Years later, as the apostle Paul, he still remembered standing there (Acts 22:20).

Stephen died without seeing any of this. Faithfulness doesn't depend on seeing the results.

One more detail: the name Stephen comes from the Greek word for a crown, the wreath given to winners. Jesus promised a crown of life to those who are faithful even to death (Revelation 2:10).

Key words

• Martyr: from the Greek word for "witness"; someone killed because of their faith.
• The Council (Sanhedrin): the Jewish ruling council in Jerusalem.
• Blasphemy: insulting God.
• Son of Man: a title from Daniel 7:13–14 that Jesus used for himself.
• The Righteous One: a title for the Messiah, the perfectly good one God promised.

How this points to Jesus

Stephen's whole speech says the story always pointed to Jesus: the last and greatest of the rescuers God sent. And his death looks like Jesus' death because he was looking at Jesus. Stephen lost the court case and lost his life. But he never lost sight of Jesus, and Jesus never lost sight of him.

Think about it

Take it further

Stephen started on the food roster and ended as a faithful witness. What is one small, ordinary way you could be faithful this week? (If you're not a Christian, think about something you believe is worth being faithful to.)

A prayer you can pray if you want to:

Lord Jesus, thank you that you stood for Stephen when everyone else stood against him. Help me to be faithful in small things now, so that I can be brave when it matters. Help me to look at you when I'm afraid, and to forgive the way you forgive. Amen.

Your worksheet helps you trace the pattern in Stephen's speech and compare his death with Jesus' death.