STEPHEN INDICTS THE SANHEDRIN FOR THE DEATH OF JESUS: ACTS 7:51-53

Now we have come to the conclusion of the history lesson -that Stephen has been presenting. He has presented his case or defense, now comes the time to strike the telling blow. He has been talking about the past, but now he gets down to addressing the present. In verse 51 he tells the Sanhedrin that they, like their predecessors -have been guilty of resisting the Holy Spirit. Then, in verse 52, he asks, which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? Stephen then accuses them of killing those who announced the coming of the Righteous One. He then gets to the crux of -the matter. He accuses them of murdering the Ghrist. According to verse 53, they received the law but did not keep it. What would the Sanhedrin do? How would -they react to this?

 THE STONING OF STEPHEN■. ACTS 7:54-60 The Sanhedrin did not want to hear these words. In verses 55-56 Stephen is given a glimpse of glory. In verse 56, “Son of Man,” this is the only place in the Bible where this term is used except by Jesus Christ Himself. The Sanhedrin had heard enough. They stopped up their ears. Verse 57 tells us that they rushed upon him. In verse 58-60 we have the stoning of Stephen. The Sanhedrin, at this time, did not have the authority to sentence someone to death. That authority remained in the hands of the Romans. Although the Sanhedrin did not get the authority to execute Stephen, they nonetheless committed this evil deed. They went through the formalities as if it was a legal execution, but in reality, it was a lynch mob murdering another servant of the Most High God. In verse 58, we have the first mention of Saul, who later became Paul the Apostle.

In verse 59, we have the actual stoning of Stephen. Stephen said, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” They continued to hurl the stones. Stephen prayed “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” This reminds us of the death of Jesus Christ. Pie then fell asleep. James Burton Coffman had this to say in concluding the 7th Chapter of Acts. ‘He fell asleep.

Taking their cue from what Jesus had said regarding the sleep of Lazarus and that of the daughter of Jairus, the Christians quickly adopted this euphemism for death. It is not so much the superficial resemblances between ordinary sleep and the sleep of death, but the pledge of the resurrection which illuminates this beloved metaphor. Upon the gravestones of two millennia, the believing community of the saints in Christ have engraved up on the tombs of their beloved dead the sacred words, ‘A sleep in Jesus!’

 Please read the 8th chapter of Acts in preparation for the next lesson. It will be called “The Spread of the Gospel in Judea and in Samaria.”

Until next time, MARANATHA!