A Journey Through Luke & ActsНамуна

The message of the Kingdom spreads across Jerusalem, and the number of disciples continues to grow. More leaders are needed, so a man named Stephen steps up to serve the poor as the apostles continue to share the message of Jesus. Stephen demonstrates the power of God’s Kingdom, and many Jewish priests believe and begin to follow Jesus. But there are still many others who oppose and argue with Stephen. They can’t handle the wisdom of Stephen’s responses, so they find false witnesses to accuse him of dishonoring Moses and threatening the temple.

In response, Stephen gives a powerful speech retelling the story of the Old Testament to show how their mistreatment of him follows a predictable pattern. He highlights characters like Joseph and Moses, people who were disowned and persecuted by their own people. Israel’s been resisting God’s representatives for centuries, and so it’s no surprise that they are now resisting Stephen. Hearing this, the religious leaders are enraged. They chase him out of the city and pick up rocks to smash him to death. As Stephen is being pummeled with stones, he commits himself to the way of Jesus, who also suffered because of the sins of others. Stephen becomes the first of many martyrs as he cries out, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.”