In His Image

Stephen’s story is in Acts 6:8-7:60. His is a theme which recurs throughout the Bible – a man of the Lord speaks with boldness and ungodly men led by Satan’s forces reject God’s word and kill them messenger. Why should we think times have changed? The human heart works on these two extremes: it either accepts or rejects the truth.

The Jews “were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which [Stephen] was speaking” (Acts 6:10). The truth was too much for them. They hadn’t the knowledge or wisdom to debate Stephen. So they did what any sensible enemy of God would do: they brought false witnesses against Stephen to accuse him of speaking against Moses and God. Before Jesus was crucified they brought false witnesses against Him and accused Him of exactly the same things. Stephen endured exactly what his Master had endured.

Then Stephen preached to these men about Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Solomon. These are men the Jews revered, yet Stephen pointed out that, REALLY, the Jews had rejected the word of the Lord during all their glorious history. Jacob’s sons sold Joseph into Egypt. The Israelites disowned Moses when he first tried to unite his brethren saying, “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” (Acts 7:35). Moses had prophesied concerning Jesus Christ: “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren” (Acts 7:37). Stephen said their fathers had been “unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt” (Acts 7:39). They rejected God by making that golden calf.

Stephen finished his sermon with a finger pointed in the Jews’ faces: “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did” (Acts 7:51).

Jesus had said the same thing: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matthew 23:37). It’s almost as if Jesus was prophesying of Stephen’s death, for the Jews, with malice in their hearts, dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him.

In the throws of death, with men spitting hatred all around him, Stephen said two things which mirror our Savior:

1. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Jesus said from the cross, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 24:46).

2. Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Jesus said from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 24:34).

Stephen, from the boldness of his life to the manner of his death, reflected his Lord, Jesus. He was like Christ. This is the greatest epitaph which can ever be written. On your tombstone, could it be written, “Reflected Christ”?

God bless,
Nathan