WATCHWORD:
At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side. He said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!” Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them. As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died. Saul was right there, congratulating the killers. Acts 7:51-60 The Message
Meditation:
Courage of Stephen
We don’t know a lot about Stephen, but we know he was the first martyr, stoned to death, allegedly for blasphemy. That occurred about three years after the Resurrection when the popularity, and controversy, surrounding Jesus as Messiah was gathering momentum, and resistance from some quarters.
We know he was not one of the Twelve. We know he was a young man (age 28-32), said to be handsome and charismatic, a visible and outspoken leader among the gathering of Jesus followers. He was a member of a group of converted Jews (Hellenists) who travelled to Greece and for several years, shared the word of Jesus, then returned to Jerusalem.
At a time when the disciples felt they were spending too much time meeting the needs of poor members of the Christian family, rather than preaching the Word, they appointed seven deacons to take over food distribution and charitable services. Steven was one of those seven. During a challenge by members of several different synagogues, Steven had bested them on several points, and they became furious calling it blasphemy against Moses and God. They brought him before the Sanhedrin, and it is before this body that Stephen launched into an exceedingly long sermon on the history of Israel, holding back nothing and pointing out the errors in which the Jewish hierarchy were preaching.
“And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit, you’re just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn’t get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you’ve kept up the family tradition—traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God’s Law handed to you by angels—gift-wrapped!—and you squandered it!” (Don’t know why they got upset.)
Martyrdom has a very special place in Christian tradition. So many of the Saints that we Revere could be classified as martyrs. Jesus addressed that in John 16 when he warned his disciples “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Eleven of the Disciples were martyred unto death for following, imitating Christ to the world. Only John lived a full life, but in isolation on the isle of Patmos.
As we try to live out our Christian Walk in around communities, do we feel any sense of persecution? When you speak out in favor of Jesus, do you simply get agreement, maybe good conversation? If we define martyrs as imitators of Christ, how close are we to imitating Christ in our everyday walk? How close are we to martyrdom? I don’t know if surrendering our lives to Christ makes us martyrs, but how far are you willing to imitate our Lord in your real world? I struggle with that very question.
Bulletin Board:
Thomas a’ Kempis wrote the handbook on imitating Christ, in his classic, The Imitation of Christ. E.M Blaiklock translated it from unreadable medieval Latin into readable English. It is a wonderful, instructional devotional for the serious Christian. Put it on your devotional reading list.
A Hymn Prayer:
Isaac Watts penned the hymn “Come, Dearest Lord”, which boldly proclaims the words of a martyr –
I have given up all for Jesus
This vain world is nought to me,
All its pleasures are forgotten,
In remembering Calvary.
Precious Heavenly Father, grant me the strength and the courage to truly imitate Your Son in my everyday goings and comings. That I may stand as your adopted child in all that I do so that others may see the power of Your Love. In the Name of Christ I pray. Amen.
