The stoning of Stephen
A pirouetting ballerina is graceful; a charging bull is powerful. We do not often think of the terms "grace" and "power" as going together. To refer to a martyr as "full of grace and power," as Stephen is described in Acts 6:8, may seem strange. A martyr is powerless, a victim of those who hold the power of life and death. Also, martyrdom is far from a graceful affair. Bones are crushed under a hail of stones, limbs are severed between the teeth of Colosseum lions, flesh melts in the heat of a blazing fire. It is far more gruesome than graceful.
In the book of Acts, there is more to martyrdom than may at first be apparent. The Greek word "martyr" means, literally, "witness." That is precisely what Stephen was, even before his death, and when he preached grace, he did so with power. Luke describes him as a "man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" Acts 6:5. Jesus had promised His followers, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Acts 1:8. They bear witness to God's grace and bear witness by God's power. In the person of Stephen-and in all witnesses and martyrs of the Church - we see this central theme of Acts.
WITNESSES TRUE AND FALSE
As the events of Stephen's death make clear, all witnesses are not equal. When Stephen gave testimony of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, the human wisdom of his opponents could not refute him. So, Luke tells us, "they set up false witnesses." Acts 6:13. They falsely charged that Stephen had blasphemed against God and His prophets and rejected the divine law of Israel. But as Stephen narrated to them the history of Israel, it quickly became apparent that his accusers were the ones guilty of rejecting God's Law and prophets. Stephen's testimony exposed them, so they killed him.
The sham trial of Stephen bears remarkable likeness to that of his Lord. As Christ stood before Caiaphas, "the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward, Matthew 26:59-60. When Jesus finally opened His mouth to confess truthfully that He was the Son of God, He was promptly charged with blasphemy and sentenced to death.
Jesus before Caiaphas
Just as false witnesses are found throughout Scripture, so false martyrs abound even today. From suicide bombers, in the Middle East to imprisoned terrorists starving on hunger strikes, we are often led to believe that all who commit suicide in the name of a cause, even when wrong or misguided, deserve a certain amount of respect for the strength of their convictions. Many would argue that they at least deserve a headline. They are, we are told, martyrs. However, we do well to recall the sentiment of the early Christians. Death does not make a martyr, they would agree, but the content of one's testimony while still alive does.
THE SEED OF THE CHURCH
Tertullian
Basil the Great
The early Christian writer Tertullian (c160-c225) asserted, "The blood of Christians is the seed of the Church." Through the spectacle of martyrdom, he meant, the Church gained victory over those who would destroy it. The patient suffering of Christians inspired more people to follow Christ. Basil the Great, another ancient Church teacher, wrote: "the blood of the martyrs, watering the Churches, nourished many more champions of true religion, each generation (preparing) for the struggle with the real zeal of those that had gone before."
However, other Christian writers recorded stories of zealous but confused believers who went to great lengths to seek out martyrdom. For example, the mother of a young man named Origen was forced to hide his clothing in order to prevent him from leaving his house in search of a martyr's death.
But Scripture is clear, the death of sinners, even the death of those who are also saints, is not the foundation on which the body of Christ is built. The Church is built on one foundation: Jesus Christ. Only the proclamation of His death and its saving benefits is responsible for the Church's growth on earth. And only those who by the Spirit's power proclaim God's grace in Christ are truly His witnesses, or martyrs. This is so even if they do not meet death for their faithful testimony.
SEEING HEAVEN OPEN
Though you may not experience the dramatic death associated with martyrdom, you certainly cannot expect to escape death itself. Death entered our world on account of sin St. Paul reminds us. "Death spread to all men because all sinned." Romans 5:12. The fact of your mortality is a constant reminder that you are a sinful being living in a sinful world. Nothing within your power can change that.
But you, like the witnesses and martyrs of the earliest Church, have not been left to your own power. God bestowed on you His own grace and power when you received Him as your Saviour and Lord. Like Stephen, even you are "full of grace and power." By His grace, you are saved and by His power you can now testify to the salvation He has provided for all. This, in fact, is precisely what you have been called to do. This is what the Holy Spirit has empowered you to do. You are to be a witness. You are to be, in the original meaning of the term, a martyr.
You may not, as Stephen did, see heaven open as you fall under a hail of stones. That is probably good news to you! But what is certainly good news is that you will indeed see heaven open when you depart this earthly life. And there you will see the Saviour in all His power and glory, graciously welcoming you home.
Adapted from the Lutheran Study Bible
