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Stephen
The first Christian martyr — a deacon whose sermon before the Sanhedrin is the longest speech in Acts, and whose death was witnessed by Saul of Tarsus.
Stephen was one of the seven men chosen by the Jerusalem church to oversee the care of widows (Acts 6:1–6). He is described as “ a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). Within a short time of his appointment, he was debating in the synagogues of Jerusalem and no one could withstand his wisdom.
His Sermon
Acts 7 records Stephen’ s speech before the Sanhedrin, the longest speech in the entire book. It is a masterful retelling of Israel’ s history from Abraham to Solomon, with a devastating conclusion: Israel has always resisted the men God sent to it. Joseph was rejected and became a savior. Moses was rejected and became a deliverer. The prophets we're rejected and killed. And now, “ you have betrayed and murdered the Righteous One” (Acts 7:52).
His Death
The crowd dragged Stephen out of the city and stoned him. His last words echo those of Jesus on the cross: “ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “ Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:59–60). Luke then records a detail that changed history: “ And Saul approved of their killing him” (Acts 8:1).
Stephen’ s death is traditionally dated to around AD 34 or 35, within a decade of the resurrection. It marks the beginning of the persecution that scattered the disciples from Jerusalem, which in turn spread the gospel to Samaria, Antioch, and eventually to the whole Mediterranean world. Without the scattering that began with Stephen’ s death, the church might have remained a Jerusalem sect.
“ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:55Sources
- Acts 6–8.
- Craig S. Keener, Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, vol. 2 (Baker Academic, 2013).
- F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles (Eerdmans, 1951), on Acts 6–7.