St. Stephen

As we approach the Christmas season once again, I wonder how often we think of Stephen, the martyr whose death is commemorated on St. Stephen's day, the 26th December. For myself, I may fleetingly think of him when singing the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas, who, you may remember, "looked out on the feast of Stephen". In Britain of course we have this day as a bank holiday, but not because we remember St. Stephen, but because the Victorians instituted "Boxing Day", which is remembered for an entirely different reason.

Stephen in Acts
All we know of Stephen is given in Acts, chapters 6 and 7. As he lived in the days just after the Lord Jesus had returned to heaven, it is possible that he could have actually met Jesus, heard His teaching, and seen His miracles. However, no mention is made of him in the gospels, so we do not know. What we do know is that he was known to the twelve disciples, and that he was chosen by them, together with six other men, to be responsible for practical matters. This involved looking after the needs of the widows and the poor among the growing group of disciples in Jerusalem in the early days after Jesus' death and resurrection and ascension.

Stephen is described as being full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and also of doing great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. As a result the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly (Acts 6:7), including a large number of priests who became obedient to the faith.

Stephen and Jesus
However, there was opposition to him from some sections of the Jews. They found themselves unable to stand against his wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit within him, so they resorted to accusing him of blasphemy and took him before the Sanhedrin, producing false witnesses who testified against him. In fact, Stephen was dealt with very similarly to the Lord Jesus Himself.

However in contrast to the Lord, who at first said nothing to the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:63), Stephen gave a long speech referring to much of the history of the people of Israel and pointing out that many prophets in the past had been badly treated and rejected by them, and that now they were guilty of the same crime. When he finally said, "And now you have betrayed and murdered him (Jesus)-you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it" (Acts 7:53), they were furious. When he followed it up with telling them he saw a vision of the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, that pushed them over the edge. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him then and there.

While they stoned him, he prayed, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." This echoes what the Lord had said while He was dying on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Each asked God to forgive the Jews, and so they were given another chance to repent of their wrongdoing.

Stephen and Paul
Almost as a postscript, Act 8:1 says, "And Saul was there, giving approval to his death." He, of course, is the same Saul who became known as the Apostle Paul, and was one of the greatest witnesses to Christ who ever lived. How much he was affected by the graciousness of Stephen at his death, and just what an impact the memory of it had on him later, we are never told in Scripture. However, after his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, and after his own arrest in Jerusalem many years later, he referred to Stephen in his speech to the crowd saying, "And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him" (Acts 22:20). No doubt Stephen's death had left a lasting impression on Paul, and most likely he felt a deep regret for the part he had played in it.

So Stephen died, the first Christian martyr. Acts 8:2 tells us, "Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him." He was obviously well-loved and highly valued by his fellow disciples and died as he had lived, a deeply committed, faithful servant of Christ, willing to do anything for his Saviour.

Stephen and service
Stephen is a Greek name that means 'crown', and after such a life (and death) of faith and dedication, one wonders whether he could also have said, as did Paul at the end of his life, "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day …." (2 Timothy 4:8). If anyone was deserving of such a crown, it seems that Stephen was.

Stephen is a shining example of what true service for the Lord is all about, from being willing to help in the distribution of food to widows, to being willing to die for his faith. He was not only faithful in the small things, but also in the greatest thing that any of us can do-laying down his life for his faith. Perhaps this Boxing Day, or St. Stephen's Day, we may pause for a moment to think about Stephen, and consider whether we can improve our service for the Lord in some way, whether small or great.