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The Book of Acts
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BIBLE STUDY ACTS 7:1-60 REVIEW: Chapter 6 was a short chapter in which two things began to unfold. First the Christian discipleship increased to such great numbers that the twelve appointed seven additional leaders to “wait on tables.” According to Pastor George, this was a phrase used to indicate their charge to take care of financial affairs and to provide for the physical needs of the people. Noteworthy was the fact that of the seven names chosen by the community to fill these positions, every one of them was Greek. This is a good indicator that the church, at this point in history, was reaching a much broader segment of Judaism. Secondly, Stephen, one of the seven, was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin. Interestingly Stephen, who was presumably a “Diaspora” Jew, is portrayed in a way reminiscent of the prophets and even of Jesus. He was, “full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.” CHAPTER 7:1-8 “Stephen’s Speech, Part I: Abraham” “Then the high priest asked him, “Are these things so?” And Stephen replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Leave our country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’ Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even thought he had no child. And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years. ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.” Stephen does not respond directly to the accusations brought against him, that he was heard speaking “blasphemous words against Moses and God” or that he was “saying things against this holy place (The Temple) and the law (of Moses).” Rather than defend himself by refuting such claims, he reframes the discussion by recounting the early history of Israel—a history shared by the accused and the accusers. He begins his address with an expression of unity (brothers) and respect (and fathers). According to Stephen’s telling, the story of Abraham is primarily about God’s actions of call, promise, and covenant. Although often regarded by tradition as the “father of faith,” Stephen does not deal with Abraham’s obedience (or personal righteousness). Rather, the outlook of this early Christian’s speech was of God’s salvation history and what God has done to create a people of God. CHAPTER 7:9-16 “Stephen’s Speech, Part II: Joseph” “The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.” Isaac and Jacob get little attention as Stephen moves quickly to his synopsis of the story of Joseph in Egypt. With the story of Joseph and the patriarchs, Stephen quickly brushes over the long biblical history in broad strokes. It often occurs to me (Pastor Josh) that this story, the story of Joseph, develops a theme with many obvious parallels to the early (Pauline) Christian message about salvation through Jesus Christ. It is almost as if God is acting through Christ in the same way (if on a greater scale) as God acted with Joseph. As God used the unlikely and once-rejected Joseph to save the relatives of those who had rejected him, God will (in the fullness of time) in the same way use Jesus, also rejected and despised, to provide salvation for the once-jealous Israelites. CHAPTER 7:17-43 “Stephen’s Speech, Part III: Moses and the Great Rejection” “But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die. At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house; and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds. When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his relatives, the Israelites. When he saw one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand. The next day he came to some of them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?’ But the man who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons. Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.’ It was this Moses whom they rejected when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ and whom God now sent as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up.’ He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living oracles to give to us. Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead the way for us; as for this Moses who led us out form the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ At that time they made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and reveled in the works of their hands. But God turned away from them and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: Did you offer to me slain victims and sacrifices forty year in the wilderness, O house of Israel? No; you took along the tent of Moloch, and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; so I will remove you beyond Babylon.’”” The main point of Stephen’s telling of this story, loose rendering that it is, is that the people are in danger of repeating the same mistake of their ancestors. Israel, even in the time of Moses, did not recognize God’s plan for salvation. By rejecting Moses, “who was powerful in his words and deeds,” the Israelites actually rejected God. The same thing can, of course, be said about Israel’s rejection of Jesus. And now, with Stephen also, said to be “full of grace and power” with his face glowing like an angel (reminiscent of Moses on Mount Sinai), the message is quite clear: The people are in danger of rejecting God’s saving activity all over again. CHAPTER 7:44-50 “Stephen’s Speech, Part IV: Solomon and His Temple” “Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wilderness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, who found favor with God and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands; as the prophet says, ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?” Here Stephen presents and defends his view of the Temple by using a long-standing and traditional argument from their tradition. The “tent of witness” was a sanctuary designed by God built according to the pattern shown Moses by God on the mountain. At the same time, the people were building the calf below (Exodus 25). Even throughout the eras of Joshua and David, the Israelites brought with them the tent of witness according to what was commanded them through Moses (Josh18:1, 1 Sam. 2:22, 2 Sam 6:17). In 2 Samuel 7, David expressed his desire to build God a house (temple). However, according to an oracle given by the prophet Nathaniel, God was not keen on being put in a house, saying, “I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling” (2 Sam 7:6). Instead, God promises David to build him a house. The building of the Temple by Solomon is described by 1 Kings 5:1-7:51. When it is completed, Solomon has the “tent of meeting” with the ark of the covenant brought into the Temple and the tent is not mentioned again in scripture. The claim made for Solomon’s Temple was that God “dwelt” there. However, the phrase “works of hands” is a phrase used for idols. Stephen’s message, however shocking and offensive it was to those who revered the Temple, is quite clear. The same principle will be voiced by Paul later in Acts (17:24) to a pagan audience: “This Lord who is ruler of heaven and earth does not dwell in temples made by hand.” There is a voice throughout scripture disapproving of the Temple and kingship itself (see 1Kgs 8:27 and 2Chr 6:8). Stephen uses Isaiah 66:1-2 to make the same point. In the scope of the book of Acts, this is an interesting change of directions and outlook for the Christian religion. Up until as recently as Acts 3, Peter and John were “going up to the temple for the hour of prayer…” That is, they were practicing their religion still within the scope of predominant Judaism. Now things are beginning to change. CHAPTER 7:51-53 “Stephen’s Speech, Part V: Crimes” “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.” Stephen concludes his speech with a direct denunciation of the Jewish leadership. Following the motif of Moses, Stephen calls them a “stiff-necked people.” This is an obvious and familiar condemnation of the people Israel from their own Torah (see Exod 33:3; Deut 9:6, 13, 27). Stephen’s words are scathing. “Uncircumcised in heart and ear,” is an illustration also used by Paul in Romans 2 (25-29). To call someone uncircumcised is tantamount to charging them with not belonging to the people. What’s more they are said to be “forever opposing the Holy Spirit,’ which leads them to persecute and kill those who bring God’s Words—the prophets. Now they have even betrayed and killed Jesus, “The righteous One.” Having been given the greatest responsibility; having “received the law as ordained by angels, they have become the biggest failures. CHAPTER 7:54-60 “The Stoning of Stephen” “When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this he died.” A self-fulfilled prophesy. All along Stephen has been portrayed by Luke, as a prophet himself. As soon as he accuses the Sanhedrin of killing the prophets, this is precisely what they do. Stephen’s last words echo those of Jesus as recorded by Luke: “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” and “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Here we see how the later disciples sought to follow Jesus in “having a death like his.” (See Philippians 3:7-11) -------------------- Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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