“Stephen’s Death a Great
Witness”
“When they had driven him out of the
city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside
their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul." (v. 58)
Richard Wurmbrand, author of “Tortured for Christ”, was a pastor
and leader of the underground church in communist Romania during the years
after World War II. Imprisoned for his faith, Wurmbrand met a young communist
lieutenant who was thoroughly indoctrinated by Marxism and believed he was
creating a better world by arresting and persecuting Christians. The young
officer scoffed at Pastor Wurmbrand’s sincere expression of love for his
enemies. But after many conversations about Christianity, Wurmbrand finally had
the privilege of leading this officer to faith in Christ in the pastor’s prison
cell.
Saul also fervently believed that Christians presented a menace
and a threat to the religion in which he had been trained so thoroughly. This
rabbi desired to prove his dedication to the traditions of his Jewish faith by
becoming the chief persecutor of Christians.
Before Saul appeared on the scene, Stephen delivered a powerful
indictment to the elders of Israel. He reminded the Jewish council that the
nation’s forefathers failed to obey Moses despite the miracle of the exodus
from Egypt. Stephen then charted Israel’s rebellion and idolatry all the way
from the golden calf to the worship of idols that led to the Babylonian exile. So what did they do with this indictment? They
threw him out of the city and killed him under a barrage of stones while Saul
watched.
Both in life and death people around us will be watching to see
how we as Christians handle it. Saul, who is specifically mentioned in
attendance to Stephen’s death, became a living testimony to the effectiveness
of prayer through his later conversion (9:17; 22:3-21). That Stephen peacefully
"fell asleep" (v.60) in conclusion to this horrific scene, demonstrated the
Spirit's presence in his life, and left a lasting impression on Saul.
Stephen is truly a model of great faith. Willing to testify of
Christ and courageous to face persecution for the truth. May our lives reflect the same.
The Truth
“Yes, and
everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
(2 Timothy 3:12)
