Friday Read: Stephen - The First Martyr
Stephen was one of the seven deacons chosen to serve tables and care for widows. But Acts 6:8 reveals he did much more: "Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Serving widows didn't limit his ministry - it launched it. Faithfulness in practical service prepared him for powerful witness. But that powerful witness would cost him everything.
Opposition came from the Synagogue of the Freedmen - Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia. They argued with Stephen but "could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke" (Acts 6:10). Unable to refute his arguments, they resorted to false accusations: "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God" (Acts 6:11). When truth can't be defeated with arguments, opponents often resort to slander.
They dragged Stephen before the Sanhedrin - the same religious court that had condemned Jesus. False witnesses testified: "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us" (Acts 6:13-14). The charges against Stephen eerily echoed charges against Jesus. Following Christ means facing the same opposition he faced.
The high priest asked, "Are these charges true?" Stephen's response fills most of Acts 7 - the longest speech recorded in Acts. He traced Israel's history from Abraham through Moses to Solomon, demonstrating that God's people had always resisted the Spirit, persecuted prophets, and rejected God's messengers. Then Stephen applied the history to his accusers: "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him" (Acts 7:51-52).
These were fighting words. Stephen wasn't trying to win acquittal - he was proclaiming truth regardless of cost. He accused the religious leaders of the same sin their ancestors committed: rejecting God's messengers and resisting the Spirit. They'd killed the prophets. Now they'd killed the Messiah. The pattern continued. Truth-telling like this gets you killed.
At this point, Stephen had a vision: "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). This claim infuriated his accusers. The "Son of Man" was messianic title from Daniel 7:13-14. Stephen was claiming that Jesus - the man they'd crucified - was standing at God's right hand as Messiah and Lord. To the Sanhedrin, this was intolerable blasphemy.
They rushed at him, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him. Saul (who would later become Paul) was there, watching the coats of those who threw stones (Acts 7:58). As stones struck Stephen, he prayed: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then, falling to his knees, he cried out: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:59-60). His final words echoed Jesus's prayer from the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). Stephen died like his master - forgiving those who killed him.
Stephen became Christianity's first martyr - the first believer killed for faith in Christ. Not the apostles who'd walked with Jesus, not Peter who preached at Pentecost, not John the beloved disciple. Stephen the deacon, Stephen the table-server, Stephen who was faithful in practical ministry before dying for bold witness. His martyrdom demonstrates crucial truths about following Christ.
First, faithfulness doesn't guarantee safety. Stephen was "full of God's grace and power," performed miracles, spoke with Spirit-given wisdom, and served the church excellently. Yet he was killed. Being godly doesn't protect you from persecution. Sometimes it provokes persecution. The world often hates what's genuinely good because goodness exposes evil.
Second, truth-telling is costly. Stephen could have softened his message, avoided direct confrontation, or focused on less controversial topics. But he told the truth about Israel's history, about Jesus's identity, and about the Sanhedrin's guilt. Truth-telling that challenges power and exposes sin often costs dearly. Comfortable Christianity avoids such costs by avoiding such truth.
Third, forgiveness is possible even for murderers. Stephen's dying prayer - "do not hold this sin against them" - demonstrated supernatural grace. His killers didn't deserve forgiveness. They were guilty of murder. But Stephen released them anyway, trusting God's justice while extending grace. This kind of forgiveness only comes through the Spirit's power.
Fourth, one person's faithfulness plants seeds in others. Saul watched Stephen die with grace, heard him pray for forgiveness, witnessed Spirit-empowered courage in the face of death. Years later, when Saul (now Paul) faced his own martyrdom, he probably remembered Stephen's example. The first martyr's death planted seeds that would bear fruit in Christianity's greatest missionary. Your faithful witness - even if it costs you everything - may transform someone watching.
Stephen's martyrdom also triggered persecution that scattered the church: "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria" (Acts 8:1). What seemed like catastrophe became catalyst. Scattered believers preached wherever they went. Persecution intended to destroy the church instead spread the gospel. God uses even the worst human evil to accomplish his purposes.
Are you willing to speak truth that might cost you? Will you forgive those who harm you? Can you trust God's purposes even when circumstances seem catastrophic? Stephen's example challenges comfortable Christianity that seeks safety over faithfulness, popularity over truth, self-preservation over witness. Following Christ might cost you everything - career, reputation, comfort, even life itself. But what you lose for Christ's sake you'll gain eternally. Stephen died at roughly age 30. He's been in glory for 2,000 years. His brief suffering resulted in eternal glory. That's the math Jesus taught. That's the trade Stephen made. Will you?
