Luke's account of Stephen's testimony is amazing in its detail. Stephen eloquently traces the history of Israel from Abraham down through Isaac, Jacob and Joseph to their present time. We learn that Moses was about 40 when he fled Egypt. And contrary to the movie, he knew then he was to lead Israel out of Egypt. But it wasn't until he was 80 that the Lord appeared to him on Mount Sinai and commanded him to go back to Egypt and lead Israel out.
Stephen traces this history in such a way that the people cannot deny the truth of what he says. Stephen masterfully uses Moses as a prototype of Christ and just as ancient Israel rejected Moses for the golden calf, these people rejected Christ. They reject the Holy Ghost just as their fathers did. Their fathers rejected and killed all of the prophets and when Stephen tells the people they are no different than their ancestors because they killed Christ, it says they were cut to their hearts and gnashed their teeth at him. Meaning they ripped him apart with fierce words as a wild animal would rip apart its victim with its sharp teeth.
Stephen then is filled with the Holy Ghost and the Father and the Son are revealed to him by the Holy Ghost. Here again we have scriptural proof that God isn't some immaterial spirit nothingness that can't be seen or comprehended, but has a body of flesh and bone. Christ stands at his right hand. How can he not have a body if he has a right hand? So Stephen, filled with the Holy Ghost, sees and experiences the Father and the Son as separate beings. He testifies of this and the people become a raging mob and stone him. This is illegal because they cannot do this without approval from the Roman authorities. And here is something I didn't know before. The Jewish law and tradition stated that when you stoned someone, you were first supposed to give them a great deal of wine so they suffer less. Then a stone large enough to kill them was placed on their chest. Only then could the people cast their own stones. If stoning occurred in any other way, it is contrary to Jewish law.
Holding the robes of those stoning Stephen is Saul. He is about 30 and he will have his own vision in the next chapter.
1 comment:
In reading this I also find that Stephen died with the spirit of forgiveness. "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." What a great person he was to forgive those that just had stoned him. Being filled with the Holy Ghost as he was made that possible.
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