Stephen 2 - Acts 7

With his face shining from transfiguration, Stephen continues testifying to this Jewish council that Jesus is the Christ. His words are a little bit difficult to follow, especially considering that he’s using Jewish culture and tradition to make his point, and I don’t know very much at all about that. The IM told us yesterday that the complaints against Stephen by the foreign Jews were that “his teachings that the coming of Jesus Christ had redefined basic Jewish concepts, the law of Moses, and the temple of Jerusalem.”  After reading both chapter 7 and the IM’s explanations, Stephen’s message seems to be “our Jewish religion has all been leading us up to accept Christ.” To illustrate this point, Stephen takes us back to Abraham and his back and forth journey through different lands, the covenants that God made to Abraham, such as the promised land and circumcision. He talks about Joseph being sold into Egypt and the mercies that God showed him in his difficult circumstances. He talks about God’s mercy on Abraham’s posterity as they were saved from the famine and delivered from slavery by Moses.

Stephen talks extensively about Moses because Moses and Abraham were the main two ancestral figures focused on in Judaism, and David too, who is also mentioned. He recounts Moses journey from godless Egyptian to a prophet of the Lord, and finally ends by asking the question “which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.” Stephen marches through the list of ancient prophets, citing proof that they were called of God, and then tying it all together with “and your ancestors have rejected and murdered every single one of them, and you did the same thing to Jesus.”
The IM comments, “Stephen’s speech to the Jewish council forcused on great pillars of Jewish identity: (1) the land of Israel (2) the law of Moses, and (3) the tabernacle or temple. Stephen gave the historical background for how the Lord had given each of these three blessings to Israel and showed how ancient Israel had rejected them. Stephen concluded with a denunciation of his accusers, declaring that they were like their forefathers. Stephen argued that his accusers had rejected the Savior, just as some Jews in ancient Israel had rejected Moses… (and) declaring that some of the Jewish leaders were responsible for the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Jews in Stephen’s day were aware of the promise that the Lord would send them a prophet like unto Moses.”
Stephen also testifies that Moses said, “a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.” It seems like an interesting point of doctrine to teach if you are trying to get your people to follow you. But what I think Moses was trying to show the Israelite people by saying that was that his law was not the end all be all of the gospel. He wanted them to understand that following the Mosaic law was expedient at that time, but that it was only preparatory for when the Messiah would come. Stephen is trying to tell this council that Jesus was the “prophet” that Moses taught of, and that even Moses understood that the laws would change once the Messiah came. The IM says, “Jesus was that Prophet ‘like unto’ Moses, and the people were to hear Him. Stephen may have hoped that his audience would see parallels between Jesus and Moses.”
The IM then has a chart linking events Stephen spoke about of Moses life with events is Jesus life:
Both were saved from slaughter as babies – Acts 7:22 and Mark 6:2
Both were rejected by their people – Acts 7:25 and John 1:11; John 6:66
Both spent time alone before their earthly mission – Acts 7:29 and Matthew 4:1-11
Both returned to their people after the people who wanted them dead were dead – Acts 7:30-34 and Matthew 2:20
Both came to save their enslaved people – Moses freed his people from the Egyptians and Jesus freed his people from sin – Acts 7:34 and John 8:33-36
Both were sent by God – Acts 7:35 and Matthew 21:33-39
Both performed signs and wonders and miracles – Acts 7:36 and Matthew 4:23
Both were rejected by their people – Acts 7:39 and John 6:66
Those who were guilty of Stephen’s accusations “were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.” I don’t know if that means that they bit him or what, but they were very unhappy with what he had to say. And this begs the question, why did Stephen have to come to them and hassle them about their beliefs anyway? We all have our own agency and I know that when people tried to tell me I was wrong when I was doing wrong things, I would be mad too, like “frickin leave me alone.” With Stephen testifying of their wickedness and calling them to repentance, if they weren’t ready to accept the gospel, why not just leave them alone until they were ready.
I guess the first answer comes in that, he didn’t go to them, other Jews “caught” him up and brought him to stand before the council, so he didn’t even want to be there. Second, I would have to say that when the council had him, they didn’t turn him loose and tell the other Jews “hey knock it off, let him believe what he wants.” They didn’t do that, instead they lied about him and became angry, they didn’t want to let him go. So when Stephen starts really letting the council members have it, it’s because they have trapped him in this situation and there’s nothing left to do except say, “hey you guys are doing it wrong.”
I imagine that they are beating the crap out of him by “gnashing on him with their teeth” but even with all this happening, Stephen “being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” The IM quotes the Prophet Joseph Smith as teaching, “(Stephen) saw the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Any person that had seen the heavens opened knows that there are three personages in the heavens who hold the keys of power, and one presides over all.”
This was the final straw, murderous members of this Jewish council, “cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet whose name was Saul.” They bludgeoned him with big heavy rocks, what a way to go.
While he’s being murdered, the JST tells us “and they stoned Stephen, and he, calling upon God, said Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay not this sin to their charge.” The IM comments, “Stephen is generally considered to be the first Christian martyr. As he faced death, Stephen followed the Savior’s example by forgiving his killers and placing his spirit in God’s care. Luke may have included Saul in the account of Stephen’s death in order to prepare the reader for the account of Saul’s conversion. Luke recorded the interesting detail that those who stoned Stephen ‘laid down their clothes’ at the feet of Saul.”