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Sunday of Easter April 28, 2002
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There is a question that every thinking person must thoughtfully ask and reflectively
answer: What is worth living and dying for?
I admit to you this morning that I have mixed emotions about this text. On
the one hand I take great comfort in knowing that the first Christian martyr
was a layman and not a pastor! But on the other hand I find this story very
hard to relate to. I have certainly faced opposition, and even mild forms
of persecution for my relationship with Jesus Christ, but I’ve never
been confronted with the possibility of losing my life for my faith.
We call Stephen the first Christian martyr because he was the first believer
to die for his faith in Christ. But technically speaking Stephen wasn’t
the first Christian martyr, because from the beginning to be a martyr simply
meant to be a witness.
Now since that time we have changed the idea of martyr to mean someone who
suffers death for a cause. But it didn’t start out that way. Jesus said
to his disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes
on you and you will be my martyrs/witnesses” (Acts 1:8). You see, Stephen
was not a martyr because he died – he died because he was a martyr (witness).
What is so amazing to me about this story is not that Stephen died –
what amazes me is that he had found something in this life worth dying for.
He had found something so real and so eternal that nothing in this present
life could substitute for the real thing.
The question this story is begging to have answered is: What is worth living
and dying for?
We first met Stephen in Acts chapter 6. He was one of the seven deacons set
apart by the church to help manage the soup kitchen and food pantry for the
widows in Jerusalem. He was an ordinary man, with some management skills,
who could be trusted with faithfully carrying out behind the scenes ministry.
Because of that it’s hard not to imagine that if Stephen had been a little
better deacon he might not have ended up a martyr too. In those days, deacons
were to be seen and not heard. They were supposed to wait tables so the apostles
could devote themselves to the ministry of the word. But making sack lunches
for the widows turned out to be the least of Stephen’s gifts. Because
once he had hands laid on his head, all the grace and power that poured into
Stephen was more than he could contain.
Maybe all he meant to do was stir the soup, but instead the Spirit stirred
him, and suddenly the waiter became a preacher! There’s nothing worse
than a talkative waiter who can’t keep his mouth shut. But don’t
blame Stephen. He can’t help himself. Since the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost
it seems that everybody gets to preach. Deacon and apostle - lay and clergy
– men and women – young and old. It doesn’t matter. When the
Spirit comes everybody gets to witness. And so Stephen’s job was waitering
– but his vocation was witnessing!
We’re told that he was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit –
of God’s grace and power. I like how Eugene Peterson describes him in
The Message: “He was brimming with God’s energy!” Grace is
charis. He had a radiant charisma with other people that made his witness
compelling and infectious. Stephen was crowned with faith, grace, and power
– filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to tell you something – those
kinds of people are magnets to folks in need. They’re also target practice
for opposition.
It’s no different today. Service is accepted – witness is not. Being
helpful is admired – sharing your faith is admonished. Minding your own
business is advised – telling the truth is opposed.
And so the opposition came for Stephen with hurricane force from the Synagogue
of Freedmen. There were two groups of Jews in the Roman Empire. Hebrews were
natives of Palestine who spoke Aramaic. Those Jews born elsewhere were known
as Hellenists because they spoke Greek, the common trade language of the region.
There was constant friction between the two. The Hebrew Jews looked down on
the Hellenist Jews because they viewed them as contaminated by the Gentiles.
Therefore, anything the Hellenist Jews could do to win favor with the Hebrew
Jews was a positive.
The Synagogue of Freedmen was the Hellenist synagogue and Stephen was a Hellenist
Jew. And so when he spoke up one Saturday morning in Judaism 101 about Jesus,
it became an opportunity for the Hellenist synagogue leaders to prove their
loyalty to the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court.
They knew they were no match for Stephen in a fair fight and so they picked
the two subjects they knew would be the most inflammatory to the court and
damaging to Stephen: speaking against the Temple and the Law of Moses. Those
were the two accusations that if convicted for could get you killed. And so
they secretly hatched a plot to persuade some men to lie about Stephen.
They hauled him into court and said: “Stephen says that Jesus of Nazareth
is going destroy the Temple,” when all he really said was: “God
doesn’t dwell in a building – he dwells in people.” They said:
“Stephen doesn’t care about our religious customs,” when all
he really said was: “God is doing new thing.”
It was a set-up. They were half-truths at best. Gossip is nothing more than
“he said, she said” without having all the facts. Slander is nothing
more than a subtle misrepresentation of what was really intended.
Stephen was being framed right before his eyes. And so when the judge turned
to Stephen and said: “What do you have to say for yourself?” you
would expect him to defend himself. But rather than defend himself, Stephen
just sat there. He was so full of faith, grace, and power that the glory of
God shone from his face and the Sanhedrin couldn’t take their eyes off
him.
Stephen might have been fine if he had just sat there looking like an angel.
But as you know, silence wasn’t one of Stephen’s spiritual gifts.
Stephen wasn’t a waiter – he was a witness! And so Stephen had to
go and preach a sermon. We didn’t read the sermon in full this morning,
but suffice it to say it wasn’t seeker sensitive.
It was more like a Sunday school bible history lesson with a few “stiff-necks”
and “hard-hearts” thrown in for good measure. Some might say that
Stephen didn’t use good judgment. With a few well-placed apologies he
could have gone free. What good is he for the kingdom if he’s dead? But
the point of it all was that Stephen never had any intention of defending
himself. He never intended an apology to someone – he was giving an apology
for someone! He was there to witness!
Barbara Brown Taylor says that most of us have known people who believe they
are being martyrs when all they are really being is obnoxious. They’re
the ones who harass you until you finally tell them please to get lost and
then they start moaning about how hard it is to serve the Lord.
But if being a martyr begins by being a witness, I don’t think it works
that way. In fact, I don’t think you can seek it anymore than you can
avoid it. I think it just happens sometimes, when people get so wrapped up
in living God’s life that they forget to protect themselves. They have
such a focus on the heavenly vision that they forget to look out for danger,
and the next thing they know it’s raining rocks.
Stephen wasn’t trying to be obnoxious. He was just so caught up in living
God’s life that his boldness outran his common sense. And it absolutely
infuriated the Sanhedrin!
It was that very moment that Stephen got the “look.” It seemed like
every time the Sanhedrin had a Christian on trial, which had been often as
of late, they always had that “look.” You know that “look”
someone gives you when they’re looking at you, but they’re NOT looking
at you? You know that “look” that makes you turn your head to see
what it is the other person can’t take their eyes off of?
It’s like they can see something you can’t. It’s like they
have access to a vision that’s beyond your capacity to see. It’s
enough to drive you crazy! That’s the look Stephen was giving the Sanhedrin.
It was like they were not even in the room! While the gallery stared at Stephen,
Stephen gazed into heaven. And the text says: “Stephen, full of the Holy
Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God”(Acts 7:55a).
That word “looked” is very important to understand here. It literally
means: “to look away from everything else in order to focus your gaze
on one thing.” The writer to the Hebrews says that by faith: “Moses
chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the
fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it better to suffer for the sake of
the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was LOOKING AHEAD to
the great reward that God would give him” (Hebrews 11:25-26). Moses turned
away from the rewards of earth to concentrate on the rewards of heaven. Moses
had the “look”! He had a heavenly vision!
And that’s why the writer to the Hebrews goes on to say: “Therefore,
let us FIX OUR EYES (same meaning) on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who
endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and
lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2-3).
Now I don’t know this for sure but maybe when Luke wrote the Book of
Acts he remembered that passage because it then concludes: “In your struggle
against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood”
(Hebrews 12:4).
I don’t know everything that was happening in Stephen’s heart, but
I believe he knew he was in danger. I believe that he gazed into heaven because
he needed encouragement in a crisis moment. I believe he needed to see the
glory of God. What he saw was nothing less than a heavenly vision, because
he saw Jesus STANDING at the right hand of God.
“The right hand of God” is a place of power and authority. And throughout
the Bible Jesus is usually described as sitting on his throne beside the Father
in sovereign power. But I want you to notice that Jesus isn’t sitting
in this scene. This was such a climactic moment that Jesus STOOD UP! He was
giving witness to Stephen even as Stephen was giving witness to him!
But I also want you to notice that Stephen saw something more than that! Because
in a moment of wonder and awe Stephen said: “I see heaven opened, and
the SON OF MAN standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56).
We’ve heard that phrase before. This is the only other occurrence of
the phrase “Son of Man” outside the four gospels, and apart from
this instance, it is found only on the lips of Jesus describing himself as
the suffering servant.
Do you remember what he said? Jesus said: “For I, the Son of Man, must
suffer many terrible things. I will be rejected by the leaders, the leading
priests, and the teachers of religious law. I will be killed, but three days
later I will be raised from the dead. If any one of you wants to be my follower,
you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow
me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you
give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit
if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your soul in the process?”
(Luke 9:22-24).
Do you know what I think Stephen saw? I think he saw the suffering Jesus.
I think he saw the wounds. I think he saw the sacrifice! I think he saw the
love of God hanging on the cross! But now this suffering Son of Man was standing
in ovation! And why was he standing? Because Stephen was coming home!
Jesus said: “If you are ashamed of me and of my message, I, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of you when I return in my glory and in the glory of the
Father and the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26).
When the Sanhedrin heard those words it was more than they could take! In
one furious movement they rushed in at Stephen! Gamaliel had cooled off the
court a few weeks before, but he couldn’t contain a lynch mob!
They dragged him out of the city to the place of execution. The witnesses
checked their coats with a young Pharisee named Saul. (What a way to introduce
the Gospel missionary to the Gentiles!) Stoning was the punishment for blasphemy
and the law required that the witnesses who had made the accusations cast
the first stone.
The first witness would push the condemned person headfirst into a twelve-foot
pit. If the victim survived the fall, the second witness dropped a large boulder
intended to crush the victim’s chest. If that didn’t kill the person
the rest of the crowd would join in by raining rocks on top of them until
they died.
Stephen lived long enough to pray two prayers: “Lord Jesus, receive my
Spirit.” And then falling to his knees he cried out loud enough for everyone
to hear: “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” If those
words sound familiar it’s because they are. Luke tells us they were the
exact words spoken by Jesus from the cross. It seems that anyone who follows
Jesus must not only die at peace with God but at peace with each other.
With those words, Luke tells us, Stephen fell asleep. Some people would say:
“He died!” But Luke wants to make something very clear: Death is
only a temporary arrangement for those who believe in Jesus Christ! New life
is just around the corner! Stephen “the crown” was about to be given
“the crown of life.” This was his day of coronation!
Most of us work very hard at not being martyrs. But best I can tell, not many
martyrs have had dying as a goal. It was just what happened to them while
they were living the fullest lives they knew how and trying to make that same
life available to someone besides themselves.
But the truth is HOW we live is more important than HOW LONG we live. I would
rather live 50 fruitful years for Christ than live to be 100 and never to
have lived.
That’s what’s so amazing to me about Stephen. Not just that he died
– but that he had found something worth dying for. The only thing that
makes that possible is a heavenly vision! A fixed gaze on the Christ who stands
to our defense!
Cassie Bernal had that gaze. On April 20, 1999, two young men walked into
their high school wearing black trenchcoats. Their intent was to kill as many
classmates and teachers as possible before they took their own lives. Cassie
Bernal was one of their victims. Several months before she had given her life
to Christ and with God’s help had overcome a drug addiction and an eating
disorder. Everyone who knew her had no doubt she was sold-out for Christ!
She and several of her friends were in the library when they heard gunshots
ring out. They scrambled for cover and lay hidden underneath a table. When
one of the shooters found her, he held a gun to her head, and asked: “Do
you believe in God?”
In that moment evil reared its head, and Cassie paused. All of heaven and
hell stood on the brink. Then she answered: “Yes!” One eyewitness
recounted: “Cassie didn’t sound timid at all. It was a firm response.
She said, ‘Yes’ and then they said, ‘Why?’ and then they
shot her.”
They pulled the trigger before they heard “why?” Either they didn’t
want to know, or her life had already given the answer.
What gave her the courage to say yes? I think she had seen a heavenly vision!
I want to be totally sold out to God, don’t you? I don’t want to
live half-full. I want to experience what it means to be so wrapped up in
living for God that my living is worth dying for!