Okay, do you remember the last time we met the church was running into some administration issues so seven men were chosen to help serve the church? Stephen was one of those men. Today we continue this story in Acts 6:8-15. If you recall, Stephen was known as a man who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Today we will learn how liars brought Stephen before the council. We get to consider his reaction to that as well.
Can you imagine that as the epitaph on your tomb… a person full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Something to aspire to eh? Stephen, it seems, would be a good person to emulate.
Acts 6:8-15
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Digging into Scripture
So we already know that Stephen was a man full of grace and the Holy Spirit. A guy that you would meet and say “that there is a fine Christian man”. He’d be known in the community as a good sort.
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
Paul’s next line tells us that he was doing good things. He was full of grace and power. So a man that God was using in a confident way. Great wonders and signs being done. I’m in my head picturing a man who knows God so well that he can confidently say “get up and walk in the name of Jesus”. A man who could tell demons to be gone from an afflicted person. Those sorts of things, but also a man who could boldly speak of his Lord and Saviour to those around him. Don’t you get the same sort of picture in your head?
Disagreement Arises
Then as there always are, some folks decided they didn’t like it. These folks belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen, the Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others from Cilicia and Asia. The Synagogue of the Freedmen is a group of First Century Jewish slaves and their descendants. So they got up and argued with him, but…
9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
Their arguments didn’t stand up to him. We aren’t told what their dispute with him was. Just that they didn’t like something and their arguments basically went nowhere.
10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
Which of course they didn’t like so they plotted against him. I don’t think it would have been hard in those days when Christianity was new and folks were getting upset about the change in things. Lies were told, and people were angry about what they were being told.
11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”
Stephen brought before the council
Stephen was brought before the Jewish council. False witnesses and liars, men in authority surrounded him and he sat with the face of an angel.
15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Okay, now here I’m all conflicted about what the face of an angel means. I know in common venacular the face of an angel means someone whose all innocence and shows it. Beautiful and serene, and I’m guessing that how Stephen looked. Because honestly he was innocent of the charges presented and that would have shown on his face.
But honestly, when I think of the face of an angel… I don’t think beautiful, calm serenity. I think of bold confidence. An angel knows to whom he holds allegiance and has that full assurance of that. And to be falsely accused, well that doesn’t lend itself well to …. well hold on… maybe it does. If you are fully confident in God, and in his abilities, and know well whose you are… maybe that would lead to beautiful calm serenity because you’d know you had nothing truly to fear.
Hmm…. thought-provoking.
what do you think?
What does it mean to you that Stephen had the face of an angel?
Have you seen this type of scenario play out yourself… where someone doesn’t like something someone else says or does and then loses the argument justifying their position. Leading them to try to destroy the person they oppose? ‘Cause that’s basically what happened.
What should our response be?
I know we aught to shut it down, and I kinda wonder where were the disciples in all this? Did it happen too quickly for them to come to Stephen’s defense?
Follow Along
If you are interested in the rest of the series you will find them here eh?
- Acts 1:1-5
- Acts 1:6-11
- Acts 1:12-26
- Acts 2:1-13
- Acts 2:14-41
- Acts 2:42-47
- Acts 3:1-10
- Acts 3:11-16
- Acts 3:17-26
- Acts 4:1-4
- Acts 4:5-12
- Acts 4: 13-22
- Acts 4:23-31
- Acts 5:1-11
- Acts 5:12-16
- Acts 5:17-21a
- Acts 5:21b-26
- Acts 5:26-32
- Acts 5:33-42
- Acts 6:1-7
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