Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Acts 6:11. Indeed, already the harmonious picture described above is darkened by a whisper (that is, a claim that one does not dare to formulate aloud) that rose in the midst of the disciples. Let’s be careful to silence such whispers of discontent or jealousy in us, for through them “the destroyer” strives to disturb the communion of God’s children (1 Co 10:9-11).
For to remedy this state of affairs, deacons are chosen, and it was necessary to be “full of the Holy Spirit. Then this is the normal state of the Christian and he can be ours if we so desire; for he is already in the believer, leaving him all the place in the temple of our heart. Let’s take a closer look at the situation.
In Stephen in particular, the Spirit shines in his three characters: “of power, love, and wisdom” (2 Tim 1:6-11). For the works and words of this man of God close their mouths to all his adversaries who are reduced to crushing false witnesses against him (Mt 26:59). But already his face radiates a heavenly beauty.
Indeed, Stephen, full of grace and power, made among the people wonders and great miracles. Also full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Stephen resembled, to a great extent, his divine Master, and he was given to resemble him until his death, which took place the same day, for telling the truth to the Jews. For introduced into service as a servant, the Holy Spirit raises him up to declare to the people his state.
Then Jews from abroad began to argue with Stephen. Some, called libertines (or freedmen), probably freed from slavery during a time of deportation, a synagogue of their own. Others came from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia. And they attacked Stephen, presumably of Greek origin (his name means “crown”). But “they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.”
But how would the natural man, despite his wisdom and erudition, oppose the action of the Spirit of God? Didn’t the Lord say to the disciples, “I will give you a mouth and a wisdom, to which all your adversaries cannot… resist” (Luke 21:15). Unable to stand up to Stephen with righteousness, these people urged men to falsely accuse him before the Sanhedrin, on the pretext of having him “hear blasphemous words against Moses and against God”, which raised against him the people, the elders and the scribes.
But for the charges against Stephen to be admitted by this religious court, according to the law (Deut. 19:15), witnesses were needed; then they presented false ones who said:”They produced false witnesses, who said: This man never ceases to utter words against the holy place and against the law; for we have heard him say that Jesus, this Nazarene, will destroy this place, and change the customs that Moses gave us. All those who sat on the Sanhedrin having fixed their gaze on Stephen, his face seemed to them like that of an angel.”
For these men were making use of truths that Stephen had surely articulated in speaking of the judgments that would reach Jerusalem, if the people persisted in rejecting the Lord. Indeed, he could say that the city would be destroyed, and it was. And they interpreted the truths of Christianity as a change in the legal system taught by Moses; for grace replaced the law. But Moses was in no way contradicting Christ who was preached to the people. For the Lord had said to the Jews, “If you believed Moses, you would also believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:46-47).
But two figures stand out from Stephen’s account of God’s goodness to Israel in that remote time: Joseph and Moses. Israel had rejected them both; he had delivered Joseph to the Gentiles, rejected Moses as leader and judge: this was the story of Christ who, in fact, will in fact be ordained in time of God, the Redeemer of Israel. That is the essence of Stephen’s reasoning, but there are two other elements in his speech. The Jews had always rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the prophets who had spoken of Christ, whom they had now betrayed and killed. Moreover, according to Moses, they had worshipped the false gods since the very time of their coming out of Egypt, and this fault, whatever God’s patience, was to have them carried, now that they had put the height of their iniquity, further than Babylon which had already been the place of their punishment.
This is one of the most striking summaries of their entire history: the story of man to whom God provides all the means of restoration. The full measure of his guilt is given. The people had received the law and had not kept it; he had rejected the prophets who had bore witness to Christ; he had betrayed and killed Christ himself. These men always resisted the Holy Spirit. What they put their trust in, the temple, God rejected it. God himself had been as a stranger in the land of Canaan, and if Solomon had built him a house, it was so that the Holy Spirit would declare, as he had already done through the mouth of the prophet, that heaven was the throne of God and the earth his stepping stone: God whose dominion extended everywhere, did not want to dwell in stone houses, works of his hands.
Then Stephen quotes a passage where Moses speaks of the Lord. But men have always deployed the skill to distort the meaning of the words of truth addressed to them, in order to escape their action on their conscience. Stephen was so close to the Lord and so above his accusers, that his face reflected a heavenly character in full view of all.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Examples of False Cookies:
Mt 28:15 The soldiers took the money, and followed the instructions given to them. And this noise has spread among the Jews, to this day. Mk 14:56 because many gave false testimony against him, but the testimonies did not agree. Acts 6:11 Then they subordinated men who said, “We have heard him utter blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Acts 17:6 Not having found them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the magistrates of the city, shouting: These people, who have turned the world upside down, have also come here, and Jason has received them. Acts 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem surrounded him, and made many serious accusations against him, which they were not in a state to prove.
- Slander, false accusations:
1 S 1:14 and he said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Pass your wine. Ne 6:7 you have even established prophets to proclaim yourself king of Judah in Jerusalem. And now these things will come to the king’s knowledge. Come, then, and let us consult together. Jb 2:5 But stretch out your hand, touch his bones and flesh, and I am sure he curses you in the face. Jb 22:6 Thou shabby unintendedly took away pledges from those who were naked, and deprived those who were naked of their clothes; Jer 37:13 When he was at Benjamin’s door, the commander of the guard, named Jireija, son of Scelemia, son of Hanania, was there, and he seized Jeremiah, the prophet, saying: You pass to the Chaldeans! Mt 5:11 Blessed will you be, when you are insulted, persecuted, and falsely said of you all kinds of evil, for me. Mt 27:12 But he did not answer the accusations of the chief priests and elders. Lk 6:7 The scribes and Pharisees observed Jesus, to see if he would do a healing on the Sabbath: it was in order to be subject to accuse him. 1 Pet 3:16 and having a good conscience, that even where they slander you as if you were evildoers, those who decry your good conduct in Christ may be covered with confusion.
- The consequences of Intolerance
(Nb 11:28 And Joshua, son of Nun, servant of Moses since his youth, spoke and said: Moses, my lord, prevent them! Jg 12:6 They said to him then: Well, say Schibboleth. And he said Sibboleth, for he could not pronounce well. On which galaad’s men serank him, and slaughtered him near the fords of the Jordan. He perished at that time forty-two thousand men of Ephraim. Mt 21:15 But the chief priests and scribes were outraged at the wonderful things he had done, and the children who cried out in the temple: Hosanna to the Son of David! ) :
Jealousy of the other workers: Mk 9:38 John said to him: Master, we have seen a man who casts out demons in your name; and we have prevented him from doing so, because he does not follow us.
-Exclusion of children: Mk 10:13 Little children were brought to him, so that he could touch them. But the disciples took back those who brought them.
-Rejection of Christ: Lk 9:53 But he was not received, because he was heading for Jerusalem.
Criticism of Christ: Luke 19:7 Seeing this, all whispered, and said: He went to stay with a sinful man.
Persecution of the saints: Acts 26:11 I often chastised them in all the synagogues, and forced them to blaspheme. In my excesses of fury against them, I persecuted them even in foreign cities.
- Persecution, general examples:
1 The 19:2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, to say to him: Let the gods treat me in all their rigor, if tomorrow, at this hour, I do not make of your life what you have made of the life of each of them! 1 Kings 22:27 Thou shat say, Thus sait the king: Put this man in prison, and feed him bread and water of affliction, until I return in peace. 2 Ch 16:10 Asa was angered at the seer, and he had him put in prison, because he was angry with him. And at the same time Asa also oppressed some of the people. 2 Ch 24:21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him by order of the king, in the forecourt of the house of the Lord. Jer 20:2 And Paschhur struck Jeremiah, the prophet, and put him in the prison that was at Benjamin’s upper door, in the house of the Lord. Jer 32:2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem; and Jeremiah, the prophet, was locked up in the courtyard of the prison which was in the house of the king of Judah. Dn 3:20 Then he commanded some of the most vigorous soldiers of his army to bind Shadrach, Meschac, and Abed Nego, and throw them into the fiery furnace. Dn 6:17 A stone was brought and put on the opening of the pit; the king sealed it with his ring and the ring of his greats, so that nothing might be changed with regard to Daniel. Acts 4:3 They laid their hands on them, and threw them in prison until the next day; for it was already evening. Acts 5:40 They agreed with him. And having called the apostles, they beat them with rods, they forbed them to speak in the name of Jesus, and they released them. Acts 8:1 Saul had approved of Stephen’s murder. On that day there was a great persecution against the Church of Jerusalem; and all, except the apostles, dispersed to the lands of Judea and Samaria. He 11:36 others suffered mockery and whipping, chains, and imprisonment;
- Sanhedrin (council), general references:
Mt 2:4He assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and inquired of them where Christ was to be born. Mt 5:22 But I tell you that whoever gets angry with his brother deserves to be punished by the judges; that he who says to his brother: Raca! deserves to be punished by the Sanhedrin; and that he who says to him: Foolish! deserves to be punished by the fire of gehenna. Mt 26:59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin sought some false testimony against Jesus, enough to make him die. Jn 11:47 Then the chief priests and Pharisees assembled the Sanhedrin, and said, What shall we do? For this man works many miracles. Acts 5:21 Having heard this, they entered the temple in the morning and began to teach. The high priest and those who were with him having come, they summoned the Sanhedrin and all the elders of the sons of Israel, and they sent to fetch the apostles to the prison. Acts 6:12 They moved the people, the elders, and the scribes, and, throwing themselves upon them, they seized them, and took them to the Sanhedrin. Acts 22:30 The next day, wanting to know with certainty what the Jews were accusing him of, the tribune had him remove his ties, and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to meet; then, bringing Paul down, he placed him in their midst.
- Quarrelsome spirit:
Ps 120:7 I am for peace; but as soon as I speak, They are for war. Ps 140:3 Who meditate on evil designs in their hearts, and are always ready to go to war! Pr 15:18 A violent man stirs up quarrels, but he who is slow to anger soothes arguments. Pr 17:19 He who loves quarrels loves sin; Whoever raises his door seeks ruin. Pr 18:6 The lips of the fool mingle with quarrels, and his mouth causes the blows. Pr 26.21 Coal produces a blaze, and firewood; Thus a quarrelsome man heats up an argument. (Ha 1:3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and do you contemplate injustice? Why are oppression and violence ahead of me? There are quarrels, and discord rises.)
From all the above, we note that two false witnesses were formed to accuse Stephen out of jealousy, while the Sanhedrin could not say anything, while his face seemed to them like that of an angel. And therefore unable to bear a truth that pierced their conscience and condemned them definitively, they stoned him, thinking thus to silence the voice of God. As a result, the Gospel was brought to the nations and the Jewish people remained rejected until the day they said, “Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord,” the cry of the rest of the Jewish people to come, after they had gone through a time of terrible trials that would form them to throw this call before the Lord. Our prayers accompany you all to live according to the Gospel.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow about “Deacon Philip sent to the desert by an angel to evangelize an Ethiopian eunuch.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.