In Acts we learn that Stephen, the Deacon was the first Christian martyr. But why was he executed? Acts 6 details at least one of the charges.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
The Jews in the Sanhedrin were very familiar with this verse in Exodus 22:28:
“You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people”
Furthermore, the book of Leviticus not only commanded that blasphemers be taken out of the city and stoned to death, but it also contains a story with that same scenario.
In chapter 24, we read of a young man who is the son of an Egyptian but has a Jewish mother. We can read between the lines and discern that the rest of the Israelites did not have much compassion on the mother and son in this painful situation. Remember that Israelites were slaves in Egypt and female slaves were sometimes required to do more than just work for their male masters. However, the gossip in the camp may have been that this “unholy” relationship was consensual, and this would have been an even greater scandal.
How sad that even the “people of God” sometimes condemn others for being in circumstances over which they had no control. Think of the questions asked of Jesus concerning a man who was born blind begging outside the temple. “Whose sin caused this man to be born blind…the man or his parents?” What a silly question, yet this kind of thinking leads even good people to do very bad things to others.
We don’t know much about the situation in Leviticus 24 except that someone began to fight with this adult son of the Jewish mother and in the heat of passion, the son “blasphemed the name of the Lord.”
Blasphemy was a capital crime so the man was confined until Moses could be consulted, and then, in accordance with the righteous demands of the unbending Law of God, the man was taken outside the camp and stoned to death.
So, when the angry mob drags Stephen outside the city, they think they are acting in righteousness. Perhaps the story of the “half breed” blasphemer was in their minds. Perhaps some of them even said “this Stephen, with his Greek name and Grecian ideas, is not a true Israelite in the purest sense, and his ideas are like a cancer that might infect all of Jerusalem. He must die!”
Luke does not give us those details, but it seems reasonable that a certain kind of prejudice was active in both the accusation and the killing of righteous Stephen.
Why would God command execution for those who blasphemed? It seems barbaric to our modern sensibilities, but we must remember that these laws only applied to the Israelites. And the Israelite people were in a very real sense the “cradle of Christ” and the “womb” from which He would be birthed.
With great power comes great responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required. James, the brother of Jesus, warns his fellow Jewish believers; “My brothers, let not many of you become teachers knowing that you will be judged more harshly.”
During her inspired “Magnificat” Mary, mother of our Lord, exclaimed; “From now on all nations shall call me blessed!” She was not only prophesying about her unique role in Salvation history, but also speaking as a representative of the Jewish people as a whole.
When we say Israelites are God’s chosen people, we are not talking about cultural or genetic superiority. We mean that they were tasked as a people by their sanctification, separation and their inspired Scriptures to help facilitate the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ who was and is fully God and fully Man.
With this sacred calling and duty, there was little to no margin for error, and as God’s Kingdom continued to forcefully advance, those who stood in opposition were removed to “prepare the way of the Lord.”
Jesus wept over Jerusalem for a variety of reasons, but one of them was that the religious leaders did not recognize Him as Messiah. It wasn’t until the first advent of Jesus had passed that Israelites had the righteous zeal to punish blasphemy, idolatry and all manner of sins that Israel was judged for through the years. It’s as though they awakened to their special calling too late and began to persecute the followers of the very Messiah they refused to recognize.
There are so many parallels when we compare Stephen’s execution by stoning and the sentence of death by crucifixion Jesus was given by religious leaders. Remember what Matthew recorded in his Gospel, chapter 26:
64 “You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?” “He deserves to die,” they answered.”
Jesus claimed He was the Son of Man which Daniel prophesied that would ride on the majestic clouds of Glory and receive worship from all people. The High Priest declared that claim blasphemous. But Stephen actually saw the Heavens open, just before he was killed, and saw Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God, standing at the right hand of God, the Father, rapt in resplendent Glory.
Both Stephen and Jesus were accused of the capital crime of blasphemy. In the Greek language it is a compound word made up of “blapto” and “pheme”. “Blapto” means to hurt or injure and “pheme” means to speak or report. So, in a sense, it is to speak words that are harmful or injurious towards or about God.
The rules for the punishment of blasphemy in the book of Leviticus state that the witnesses bringing the accusation should throw their stones at the perpetrator first. This helps us gain some insight into the brilliant words of Jesus to those men who condemned a woman caught in the act of adultery to death by stoning.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
As the eyewitnesses to the sin of the accused women commenced with her execution, in accordance with Levitical law, Jesus raised the bar of righteousness consistently, as He did many other times, and spoke such convicting words that the “lynch mob” had no other option but to shamefully shuffle away, muttering to themselves.
When the nameless sinful woman was about to be stoned to death, Jesus stood up for her, and she remained alive to be His witness.
Jesus stood up for Stephen as well.
And even though Stephen was not protected from the flying stones, the blessing he received and the witness he left behind was even greater than the woman who was spared the same painful execution in John 8.
It seems that Jesus stands up for those who are both wrongfully and rightfully accused of sin. Thankfully, He stood up for us as well.
PRN: Lord God, we praise your Name. Your Name is worthy of all respect and honor. May we never speak your Name in a way that is profane, but always revere and never use it in vain. May our lives accomplish the purpose you have set forth for us, and may our faces shine like your servant Stephen. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Comments