St. Stephen, Witness of Love
While St. Stephen’s ministry of worship and works offended no one, his ministry of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ ran into trouble early on. Like his Master and Lord Jesus Christ, Stephen took to speaking in the city of Jerusalem about the promises that God had fulfilled in the Death and Resurrection of his Son the Jewish Messiah. Locals from the synagogue disputed with Stephen about Jesus, but his wisdom outshone their folly. So in desperation they brought him to the Sanhedrin, the same Jewish court that had convicted Jesus of blasphemy and sentenced him to death. They set up false witnesses, as they did with the Lord, claiming that Stephen was an enemy stirring up the people to abandon Jewish traditions and hasten the Temple’s destruction. In response, St. Stephen in Acts 7 walked through salvation history through the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon. He demonstrated with clarity and boldness that 1) God’s presence on earth isn’t restricted to the Temple but that he can be present everywhere, 2) the people of Israel had faithlessly betrayed God time and again, and 3) their betrayal had reached a climax in the murder of the Just One, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Driven to rage by his words, the Sanhedrin rushed upon him, cast him out of the city, and stoned him to death. As he died, Stephen begged the Lord Jesus to receive his spirit and forgive his enemies. Among those consenting to his execution was Saul of Tarsus, who would become St. Paul the Apostle after his conversion.
So many lessons can be learned from Stephen’s martyrdom. First, the Greek word ‘martyr’ means ‘witness’, someone who testifies to the truth. Every time you and I speak the truth of Jesus lovingly when it’s inconvenient or awkward, we are witnessing to the Lord. To witness by your words and deeds that you are disciple will not always be easy, but you’ll be amazed by the graces God gives to his faithful ones (and the companions in arms you’ll meet on the way). Second, when despite your best efforts people take offense at your witness or dismiss you, do not be surprised or dismayed. Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper: “If the world hates you, know that it hated me first” (Jn. 15:18). But he importantly added later, “In the world you will have many troubles, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). No struggle is unknown to the Father, nor is any grace lacking to one who seeks him out in trial. Have compassion on your neighbor who reacts with anger to your witness, and don’t hold it against them. Finally, when your witness breaks through the hardhearted and helps bring them to conversion or deeper faith, rejoice and take no credit. For it is God working in your heart and theirs that has brought about this miracle. We are merely beggars telling other beggars where to find the food.