Stephen Is Seized
STEPHEN IS SEIZED
ACTS 6:8–7:1
When God is at work, we must expect the devil to spread lies about his workers.
The most prominent member of the “seven” who were appointed to represent the Hellenists was Stephen. He is a key figure in early Christian history, chiefly because of the powerful grasp that he had of the universal character of the gospel which went beyond all national and racial boundaries. For that reason, his speech is reported in detail.
In these verses Stephen is introduced. His personal “charm” (6:8) and effective ministry (6:8) are mentioned. He stood in a true apostolic succession (cf. the wording here with 5:12). His opponents, drawn from a synagogue which called itself “a meeting-place for Freedmen” and who represented Hellenistic Jews from the world of the Dispersion, challenged him to debate. When they failed to answer him by fair means, they resorted to foul (6:11-12). Moses (6:11) came to stand for all that was holiest and most valued in rabbinic religion. Hence to deny him was to strike at the divine authority and validity of the entire Jewish system. This was a radical attack on Judaism, which the earlier apostles had not made (cf. Peter’s observance of the temple worship).
The indictment was the same as that which was brought against Jesus: a remarkable fact, and one further proof of the continuity of the witness against Judaism, begun by the Lord and maintained by his servants who had grasped the inner meaning of his mission (Mark 2:21-22).
But false witnesses sometimes correctly hint at the truth. It is quite likely that he had spoken out against the sacrificial system, the venerable place of the temple and the final authority of the Law—to judge from his later speech in chapter 7. He certainly made it clear that God’s ultimate word was to be found in Jesus, not Moses (6:14). That was a blasphemous remark in any Jew’s ears (6:11).
Notes 6:8: “grace” in Luke can often mean “graciousness” (Luke 4:22). 6:9: the place names indicate the original homes of men who had either received their civil freedom and citizenship or inherited it from their fathers. Saul of Tarsus is a notable instance of such a case (22:28). 6:10: cf. Luke 21:15. 6:14: Stephen had evidently perceived the inner significance of the Lord’s promise (in John 2:19-21), and the thought of a new temple (Ephesians 2:20f.; 1 Peter 2:5). 6:15: his face, no less than Moses’ (Exodus 34:29f.), shone with a heavenly glow.