The Death of Stephen

In our cozy churches where sometimes the worst that happens is somebody reads the wrong bible passage or the choir are a little off-tune in the anthem we easily forget that the Church was built upon the experience of martyrdom. One of the first martyrs was Stephen, a deacon chosen by the apostles. A sermon reflecting on Stephen can be found here.

One of the most startling aspects of Stephen’s testimony is the depth of his courage. When hauled before the Sanhedrin to give an account of himself, he could easily have softened his message a little, so as to cause nobody any offence. Indeed, if he’d kept quiet about his faith he would never have been on trial in the first place.

There is something burning in Stephen. You can call it the fire of the Holy Spirit or describe it as passionate devotion for Jesus Christ, whom he called Lord and Savior. However we describe it, Stephen just could not keep quiet about what had been done to Jesus Christ, who had done it and how God turned it all around and had raised Jesus to glory.

That his opponents don’t see things that way, is not so much a cause for despair on Stephen’s part, so much as it is a call to prayer. As they stone him he prays that God will forgive them. There appears no evidence of malice or hatred in what Stephen has said, rather he just laid it out as he saw it. Stephen is executed through stoning. Barbaric, but sadly not even unknown in some parts of the world today.

What a challenge such actions lay before us! Where is our passion? Why are we not motivated to speak out in such bold terms? What if persecution such as the earliest church faced were to come our way? Would we crumble and keep quiet or would we rise up and keep faith?

Not easy questions.
No easy answers.

Prayer: Lord, the faith of the martyrs is such a deep challenge to our easy going expressions of discipleship. We are complacent and content with not making waves. We are often uncertain in our belief and hesitate to take a stand for what we do not fully comprehend. Forgive us. But also renew us. Increase our vision. Deepen our desire. ‘Grant us courage for the living of these days’! Amen.