Vision
I think you had to be there to really understand what went on. He’s been a thorn in our side
for so long. We thought that these followers of Jesus the Nazerene would just fall away. It’s
been two years now and they just keep coming back. That old fox Gamaliel might have said
if God’s behind this they’ll flourish , if not they’ll just wither away. But God couldn’t have
wanted us to just stand around; we had to do something. Stephen was attracting a lot of
attention with his clever words and supposed healing; although I never saw anything myself,
I must admit. Anyway, we get him before the Sanhedrin on blasphemy charges. The place is
packed and then he lectures us on OUR history….Our history. That got to everyone there. We
were so angry, SO angry and that’s where it got out of hand. That bit about the Son of Man…
that really forced it. There were cries of “blasphemy” and then “stone him” … stone him to
death and before you knew it, the mob had got him and that’s how it happened. But you know
the strangest thing; it was how calm he was at the end. No fear it seems, calling out to Jesus
to forgive us for what we were doing. Saul was there too you know. He said we were doing
the right thing. And Saul knows what he’s talking about, he’s an expert. So that’s okay.
But it really wasn’t okay.
Apart from being an illegal act of murder under Roman law, Stephen’s death didn’t achieve
what the Hebrew authorities wanted since it proved to be something of a watershed for the
Christian faith.
The persecution that followed resulted in many Christians fleeing Jerusalem in fear for their
lives; many of them would have witnessed Stephen’s death as well, but took strength from
their newly found faith.
The gospel was spreading further and further afield and Stephen had played a major part in
that.
So what was it about Stephen then?
Stephen was a remarkable man. Luke describes him as “a man full of faith and of the Holy
Spirit”. “ A man full of God’s grace and power”. “ His face was like the face of an Angel”.
He tells us that Stephen did miraculous signs and great wonders among the people and
“spoke with wisdom and by the spirit”. He was also courageous and met his death with a
dignity that is only surpassed in the Bible by Jesus Christ. Stoning is a horrible way to die yet
Luke tells us that Stephen “fell asleep”.
The trigger for these events is Stephen’s vision of Jesus and God, inspired by the Holy Spirit..
“I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”. This in point of
fact is the only occasion in Acts where the phrase “Son of Man” occurs, a phrase used by
Jesus in the Gospels to describe himself and alluding to the passage in Daniel 7:13 “.. in my
vision at night I looked and there before me was one like the Son of Man coming with the
clouds of Heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was
given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language
worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and his
kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
In Luke chapter 2, Simeon at the Temple at the end of his life was moved by the Spirit to
take the infant Jesus in his arms and utter the famous eulogy, “ Sovereign Lord, as you
promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For mine eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people , a light for revelation to the Gentiles and
for the glory to your people Israel.” Simeon , like Stephen has seen Christ and recognised him
for who he really is.
This raises a few questions. How can we see Christ? Why don’t we have these wonderful
visions which would make our faith so much easier? In fact the story of Stephen’s death and
the signs, wonders and miracles carried out by the apostles can seem rather intimidating to us
today. We surely can’t compare ourselves to these people of faith. Our faith must seem a little
ordinary in comparison.
A friend of mine once said and I think a little tongue in cheek, “You know Andrew.
Mediocrity is good in a way. You never get disappointed. It’s much easier not to expect too
much.” I can see where he is coming from and I suppose there’s an element of truth in what
he says.. But that’s not what God and Jesus are about. They do not want us to feel our faith to
be mediocre, to be described as lukewarm like the Laodiceans in Revelation, being neither
hot nor cold. Rather, Stephen’s story is set as a source of inspiration, an example to us of a
person’s complete trust and understanding of God. The Acts of the Apostles describes the
early church and its growth throughout the Roman Empire. The context was entirely
different. Miracles and signs were used to enable the early. church to spread and grow But
this was achieved by the work of the Holy Spirit working through individuals like us.
Stephen recognises Jesus in his vision. When he says he sees the Son of Man standing at the
right hand of God, that seeing appears to be purely visual on initial reading, but the element
of seeing as understanding as in “ I see what you are saying” is greater; what enables
Stephen to see and understand is the power of the Holy Spirit.
The significance of that terrible event two thousand years ago when Stephen became the first
Christian martyr is his unfailing witness to Christ. What links us to Stephen is the Holy
Spirit. Daniel Migliore in his book “Faith seeking Understanding” describes the work of the
Holy Spirit as re-presentative, in effect that it operates by spanning the gap between the then
and there and the here and now. Christ is brought into the present day. The Holy Spirit
enables our faith to be extraordinary.
Not so long ago Alison Pearson wrote in the Daily Telegraph an article entitled “ Wishywashy Anglicans like me should speak up for the Church.” She attended an Easter morning
service and reflected on the joyful sense of community she witnessed at that church in
Aldeburgh. Thee fabulous churchgoing ladies she met who visit a hospital every week to
wash and comb the hair of elderly patients and read to them. She observes “You don’t have to
be religious to do good but doing good seems to come easier to the religious.” Alison
Pearson’s example doesn’t seem to be a dramatic work of the Holy Spirit but what those
ladies do evidently resonated with her as it seems did Stephen’s death with Saul.
In Acts 22, Saul, now known as Paul, has returned to Jerusalem. He gives an account of his
journey of faith and his spectacular conversion on the road to Damascus. But he recalls the
death of Stephen and his own role in giving his approval and “guarding the clothes of those
who were killing Stephen.” It is not really reading too much between the lines to see the
profound effect Stephen’s death had upon Paul.
A couple of weeks ago at the Benefice communion David Brown spoke about people “getting
it”. Paul “got it” but part of the process in his “getting it” was the death of Stephen. As
Christians today we can be instrumental in helping others “see Christ” in how we live out our
lives and how we project our faith. In my work as a street pastor, a common question we are
asked is, “ Do you get paid for doing this work then?” (ESSEX ACCENT!). The answer is no
but that we are Christians from different churches around Colchester, serving Jesus Christ by
looking out for and helping those who need assistance or who are vulnerable for some reason
(usually alcohol) or another.
This response is often met with a degree of amazement and a “ Oh that’s lovely that is”, but
what we pray is that seeing the work of Christ on the streets may just make people think
about Jesus and how they stand with him. People do not wake up one morning and say to
themselves, “Today is the day I will become a Christian”. People who have been on the
Alpha course, for example, generally do not come on a whim but as a result of a gradual
process, and part of that usually has been the influence and lives of other Christians who they
know.
Stephen is famously known as the first Christian martyr; a word from the Greek meaning
witness. We are fortunate to live in a country where we are not generally threatened because
of our faith; we may be ridiculed in some quarters, but not threatened.
I say this because of the case of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, a 27 year old Christian in Sudan,
who has been sentenced to hang unless she recants her Christian faith and converts to Islam.
We as Christians owe it to people like Meriam not to be apologetic for our faith, but to be
witnesses to Jesus Christ and the Gospel. Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so
that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done through God.
Amen
AC