Lord, do not hold this sin against them [Acts 6-7]

Act 6-7

Key Verse ." ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep

A.      Growing Pain of the church

In the last chapter, God struck down Ananias and Sapphira for their deception within the Church. Also, God sent an angel to bring out Peter and John from the prison and told them to tell the people about this new life. When they saw such open rejection of their command, they became so furious that they were about to kill Peter and John. But being persuaded by Gamaliel, the Sanhedrin let them go free. Simply, the authority of the nation, the Sanhedrin, could not do anything against the apostles. So they preached day after day in the temple courts, and from house to house they never stopped teaching and proclaiming good news.[5:42]

 What was the outcome?

6:1. The total number of believers grew too large for the Apostles to handle all the needs of the community properly and effectively.  This might have somewhat hampered the ability for the Apostles to preach the word of God as it was needed and as the result, the growth of the church as well. At the same time, there were quite a number of people filled with godly zeal among the members of the church. Among them were many Hellenistic Jews. Hellenistic Jews were Greek-speaking Jews from many different countries.  As the result some, particularly the widows of the Hellenistic Jews, were overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The stress of the community was revealed when Hellenistic Jews complained about the neglect of Hellenistic widows. When they heard the complaints, the twelve apostles offered a solution – appoint those who are full of the Spirit and wisdom and turn the responsibility to them. The people were pleased with this suggestion and they carried it out. This was the first time an issue of governing came to the community of believers. It is interesting to know how they handled this issue.

·         The entire twelve Apostles talked collectively to the whole congregation with a suggestion. It is interesting that there was no such one ‘leader’ who had absolute control of the community as Moses was for the Israel. It was the first time of such a ‘collective’ leadership and even this leadership shifted the decision upon the people so that the people may choose their leader-servants.  If this is taken as the commanding principles of how the believers’ community should operate, it is very significant and noteworthy.  

·         The primary purpose was for them to focus on preaching the word of God. The word of God was the first and most important priority of the Apostles and for the community.  The entire community was happy with the suggestion and chose seven members among themselves. This was not the decision or selection by the twelve but by the people. This was the first of such democratic process of governing.

·         There were two qualifications: full of Spirit and wisdom.

·         The Apostles prayed for them laying their hands on them. This means that what the people did was in full agreement with the spirit working among the Apostles.

·         As the result the entire community became one in spirit and mind toward the goal, preaching the word of God.

The people chose from amongst themselves, seven men to look over things. Among them was Stephen, a man full of Holy Spirit and faith. The Apostles laid hands upon them in prayer.  As the result the word of God spread and the number of disciples increased rapidly.

It is interesting to know that, among the seven, there were many Greek names. The first of such is Stephen. It is more than likely that Stephen from the Jewish diaspora and came to believe Jesus. As we look at John 12, when Greek-speaking Jews came to see Phillip, one of Jesus’ disciples, asking to see Jesus, Jesus counted this as his time to go ahead with his plan to die. So from the beginning Jesus’ work, Greek-speaking Jews were an important part of Jesus’ consideration. During this time of the initial stage of the spread of faith, quite the number of Greek-speaking Jews, the Diaspora, joined in the faith. This is significant in that this became the stepping stone for the mission toward building beyond the borders of Palestine. 

V7. The conclusion was that the word of God spread and the number of disciples increased. A large number of the priests became obedient to faith. The priests constituted the major force of religious and political governing body. Their lives depended on the cultus of the temple.  This means that the force of the Gospel was powerful enough to penetrate deeply into the old Jewish religious system and brought about very powerful changes among them.

In addition, as time went on, the people came to realize that what the believers preach on the law and the temple was different from what they believed.

B.      Stephen’s address to the Sanhedrin;

He was full of grace and power, and performed great wonders and signs. This was the result of powerful presence of the Holy Spirit within him. With the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in him, he spoke before this crowd.   

Since Stephen himself was a Greek-speaking Jew, it was quite natural to engage with other Greek-speaking Jews.  As they were engaging in conversation, an opposition arose from the members of the Synagogue of the Freedman –Hellenistic origin, freed from Rome and came from Cyrene, Alexandra, Cilicia and Asia.  The Synagogue of the Freedman seemed to be the place where the Diaspora from many different parts of the territories of Roman Empire congregated together.  When people are involved in heavy discussions and arguments, both parties are affected greatly, either by reshaping one’s opinion on the belief of the other or by putting up more hate and hostility against the other. In this regard, it’s better look at this event from God’s perspective who poured out his Holy Spirit to Stephen, so as to deal with the central issues of Jewish faith in godly perspective.

As they were engaged in arguments, it was obvious that Stephen overwhelmed this group of people and they could not overcome Stephen in power and in wisdom. When they could not stand up against the wisdom that the Spirit gave him, what did they do? They resorted themselves other source of power.

¹¹ Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."

They stirred up people, elders and teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before Sanhedrin. This was their charge against him:

"This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.

What are the issues?  They were about the law, Moses teaching, and the temple.    

God speaks in and through history. In this long discourse, Stephen addresses the entire history of Israel. But he did this with little explanation and we need to have careful examination so as to capture what he implied.  How do we understand that history of Israel? How did they understand the history? Stephen’s speech takes an important place to find out the first believers’ understanding of the OT. 

Two things: the law and Holy place—the temple. These are the core subjects of the belief of Israel. The law is closely tied to the covenant, in which the law is to function with clear purpose.

These are not just the core subjects of Israel religion but all human religious systems address their uniqueness in these two terms or issues. We can easily discern this as we come to know that there is no religion that does not have a temple. There is no religion that does not address certain codes of conduct or principles of life that all followers must abide by so as to attain to the blessings the system of belief offer.

In light of this, what Stephen, being fully empowered by the Holy Spirit, addressed the people about the essence of Jewish religion is important and relevant in understanding all of the religions of the world, not just about Jewish faith.

In interpreting this message, we have to accept that the Jews were just like any human being, just like any other nation in their mindset and character, sharing the same human nature under the power of sin. In this view, the way Israel handled the law and the temple is important in the understanding of the world religions, and at the same time, gives us the understanding of the way how many other religions of the world handle their laws, their temples and its fundamental flaws.

Going back to the immediate context of this event, Stephen was before the Sanhedrin, the third time that believers testified before the Sanhedrin. At this time, the conflict came not from the religious leaders who had much authority and power over the nation, but from those who did not have such authority and power. Also, they may not have had substantial factual knowledge of the Bible since they did not belong to a particular religious group such as Pharisees or teachers of the law, though it was not impossible. This means that they were devote lay men and firmly believed in the law and the temple.

They felt that the foundation of their ‘faith’ was being violated or tampered with by Stephen.  Though their faith or conviction was on false ground, in this event, ‘faith’ and its content are the main issue rather than a particular theological argument.

Now, the point of argument transferred from what the believers offered as the teaching or the way of saving life, to the false nature of the core belief of their system in view of the new faith in Jesus. Simply, what’s wrong with the Jewish belief in the OT and its teachings was the main topic.

It will be divided into three parts: Covenant of blessing, the law, and the temple.

God called Abraham to bless [1-8a]

When he was called by God, he did not have anything: no land, no child, no wealth or fame or power. In such a mean state, God said to him,

‘I will bless you and make you a great nation. You will be blessed and all nations on earth will be blessed through you.’

In this promise, God promised to bless him for the purpose of making him God’s nation of blessing. This includes the possession of the land, and bearing a child that will grow to be a nation. This work of blessing would go through all of his descendants.  One of the essential processes shall be four hundred-years living and suffering in Egypt, followed by deliverance from that suffering in order to bring them back to the Promised Land. Why did God make this a necessary part of being a blessed nation?  We can conjecture many reasons. Totality of God’s power and grace may be the essence of this nation of God; this nation may come to know God’s fullest extent in regard to his power, his authority and his righteousness and his holiness or to be God’s people, so the people had to suffer and learn faith in God.  In this nation, God wanted to demonstrate God’s possession of the utmost will and authority for the world. All these are more than probable but none are said explicitly. To jump from probable implication to the certainty, we need God’s revelation and personal conviction in faith.  

This promise was sealed in the form of a covenant. This covenant has two facets: one for God and the other for Abraham. God is to be the God of blessing for Abraham and his descendants. At the same time Abraham and his descendants must serve and honor God only.  As a token of such commitment to God, Abraham and his descendants must circumcise themselves.

How this covenant of promise would come out depends on two things – if Abraham and his descendant swould or could keep the covenant conditions and what God would do about it.

There are many discussions on Abrahamic covenants and whether they are conditional or unconditional. When we focus on these issues, it is easy to miss the essence of this covenant relationship that God wanted to establish and that Abraham wanted to get out of. What God wanted in this relationship was to create a nation of people in his liking. What Abraham wanted is to receive many blessings for life. Meeting these two essentials is the goal of this covenant.

[8b-16] God kept the promise by creating a nation from one man Abraham

Soon after receiving this covenant, Abraham committed himself to God in faith, and to show this commitment, he circumcised himself and his entire family. So accordingly, God gave him Isaac, and then his grandson, Jacob and then great grandchildren, the 12 patriarchs.

But in jealousy, the patriarchs committed sin by selling their brother Joseph as a slave to Egypt. This was a sin and a gross rejection of the basic tenet as the people of God, who is righteous and holy. This was even considered as a gross breach of the covenant. Also, there is a subtle hint of association between the famine that struck the entire land of promise and Egypt, and the will of God that will punish the sins of people.  This famine lasted seven years, which was long enough to decimate the people entirely. But God protected Joseph and gave him a clear vision on what was yet to come to the known land.  So Joseph devised a plan according to what God had revealed. In this plan, God saved the entire family of God’s chosen as well as the entire people of Egypt from the destructive power of famine.   Like this, God demonstrated his will and commitment to his covenant and saved his people as well as the people of the world through one of his chosen despite the sins and unbelief of his chosen and the world. Further, by sending the entire family to Egypt with riches and power, God provided all of the means necessary to grow this family to a nation. After four hundred years, this family grew to be a nation.   

[7:17-36] God kept the promise by delivering the nation from Slavery.

As a new king came on the throne, he subjected Israel to slavery and was determined to oppress God’s people. This new Pharaoh gave an order to kill all of the male newborns. This was a great threat to the very existence of God’s chosen people. God remembered his promise to Abraham and decided to rescue Israel. So he raised one man, Moses, and fulfilled his promise. How did God raise one man Moses for this purpose? There were three stages in Moses life, distinctively marked out by his age and the place of his life.

First, God rescued Moses from the Pharaoh and raised him as the leader, but Israel rejected him. For the purpose of subduing the nation Israel, the Pharaoh sent an edict to kill all male children of Hebrews. But God used the Pharaoh’s daughter, who rescued him from Nile River and raised him up to be educated in all of the wisdom and knowledge of Egypt. So when he came to know this, Moses thought that God chose him to save his people and showed such intent by siding with his people. But his people rejected him as their ruler and said this:

 ²⁵ Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. … ' ²⁷ "But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us?

In this stage, God’s hand on Moses was evident by his upbringing as the leader of Egypt even though he was a son of Israel. But this obvious mark of God’s hand in his life was rejected by his people. Being rejected by his people, he ran away to Median and spent his life shepherding sheep for forty years. After 40 years living in wilderness, humanly speaking, the chance of Moses being a rescuer or leader for his people became nil. Moses himself did not see God’s vision in his life. This period ends with utter hopelessness in regard for Moses being a rescuer, as well for the nation Israel being saved from the slavery from Egypt. In this hopeless situation, God of promise made a drastic intervention.

Thirdly God called Moses in the context of Holiness of God.

³⁰ "After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. …³² 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…'. ³³ "Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.

God’s presentation to Moses was characterized by the flames of the burning bush. When a bush burns and flames come up, normally the bush would be burned to ashes. But strangely, there were flames and yet there was no actual burning out the bush itself. When we couple this with what God said, we can grasp the true meaning of this. He said the place where you are standing is holy ground. So Moses needed to take off his sandals! In the first encounter, God let Moses join in God’s holiness, freeing him from sin and all ungodliness. God’s holiness and Moses’ fear of God shaped the entire life of Moses.  This is the core message given to Israel through Moses. This is the essence of the nature of being a covenant people of God. Moses was to carry this out. Getting the nation out of Egypt was not just liberating them from slavery, but also making them holy as God’s people.  In this regard, how God called Moses as the leader to carry out this purpose is very important. The burning bush is directly connected to his meeting with God in the mountain Horeb in the flames of fire in which he received the law. Also such full demand of holiness on his life became evident as he made a single mistake in anger against Israel. In anger, he struck the stone twice instead of saying the word of God. God punished him on this one time disobedience that he could not enter the land of promise. His life speaks powerfully the sternness of the law of God.

Eventually, what did Moses do?

³⁶ He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness.

Moses performed many wonders and signs during the entire period of his leadership; it started in Egypt and he did this when Israel cross the red sea. He carried out many wonders and signs during the forty years in the wilderness. This is about what Moses did to Israel throughout his entire life. We can state this simply; Moses led Israel out of slavery and mediated Israel to meet God in his holiness, and led them to the land of God’s promise. The nation Israel owed him the very existence of their being as God’s people and as the possessor of God’s blessing. It cannot be thought of if Moses were not there with them or if God did not raise Moses. In this regard, what Moses said carries a very heavy weight, particularly in regard to the salvation of the nation Israel!

This is the Moses that they rejected as their leader but God used as the powerful deliverer of Israel.  This is the Moses through whom God gave a promise of the Savior.

³⁷ "This is the Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.

It is better to discuss it in its original context for a proper understanding of this passage; Deut 18:14-18

Deuteronomy 18:14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. ¹⁵ The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." ¹⁷ The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.

·         The inhabitants of the land that they will possess engage in idol worship, which is characterized by sorcery and divination.

·         But for God’s people of Israel, they must not engage in such idol worship. Instead, God will send one like Moses and they must listen to him. In both occasions, ‘listening’ is emphasized. So listening and resulting obedience in faith is implied.

·         God is sending one like Moses in response to their request that they made when they faced the fear of God’s holiness.

·         God himself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words.

Moses was among them throughout the entire period of their journey to the Promised Land. They were able to see him and talk to him with all forms of human interaction. The primary goal of these interactions was to keep the covenant alive and intact so that they might receive the full blessings of God. The primary tool for such interaction was ‘the word’ and to respond to the word. This word is from God as Moses received the Ten Commandments and gave them to Israel. Likewise, the one coming Messiah will be the same in this regard; God will send him so that they may pay attention to the word of God given through him. What was the context of such delivery of the word?

³⁸ He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.

·         He was in the assembly in the wilderness. Here, assembly means a congregation of believers, meaning Israel, God’s chosen people. While they were in the wilderness, Moses was in the midst of them to help out and to hear their needs and to meet all of their needs.

·         God spoke to Moses in the Mount Sinai. Moses had the most intimate relationship with God out of any of the other prophets of Israel. God spoke personally to him and even showed his back and let Moses survive.  

·         Moses was the one that made the connection between God and his people in the context of wilderness. The medium of that connection was the words of God. He received it from God and gave it to his people.

These are snap shots of Moses. Jesus, the one like Moses did the similar thing:

·         Jesus did his ministry not in a temple or in a particular office but carried out his ministry in the midst of crowds. As we know, Jesus was surrounded by thousands of people in the wilderness many times. In the wilderness, many came to him and Jesus healed them and served them with the words of God. One of the most known of such events is Jesus’ feeding of five thousands of people in the wilderness.

·         Jesus did everything in obedience to God the father. Jesus often made this clear to the crowd that he served. [John] Jesus had an intimate relationship with God the Father, more so than any other human being. He sought God’s will in his prayer, in his miracles, and in his death.

·         Jesus gave the words of God, but also his life itself is the word of God. So John says, ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1)

The one like Moses is Jesus. But what did they do to him? Why? Let’s go back and explore the history of Israel on what they did to God’s servants.

1.       As we mentioned, the ten children of Jacob sold their brother to Median in jealousy. This was an open distrust and rebellion against God’s call to be his children. Also, this jeopardized God’s plan for the entire family. Without God’s help through Joseph, it was impossible for them to survive.

2.       They rejected Moses.

a.       When God raised him to be the leader of Israel and educated him in all of the wisdom and knowledge of Egypt.

b.      When they faced hardships in the desert, they wanted to go back to Egypt

c.       When Moses was at the Mountain Horeb, in doubt they made an idol, golden calf.

3.       Their descendants rejected God and served idols as their ancestors did. [42b-43]

What conclusion can we make based on this history?

⁴³ You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile'¹ beyond Babylon.

According to the covenant violation, they were sent to exile in Babylon for many long years. The history of exile makes a clear witness to their rebellion and unbelief. Over all, this is diachronic evaluation of Israel’s history in regard to their response to God’s offer of salvation. The response is uniformly something of unbelief and rejection. This is the conclusion of the entire message. What does this have to do with the listeners of Stephen? What does this have anything to do with us now?

The time of Abraham was about BC 2000 and Moses’ time was about BC 1500, the time of Amos was about BC 750. But their response to God’s offer was uniformly something of rejection and unbelief. This means that the blood flowing in the ancestors is the same blood flowing in their descendants after more than 1000 years. The message is clear. Human nature is the same then and now. It is deeply ingrained by sin and expresses itself as rejection of and unbelief to God’s servants!  Why do they have such arrogant hearts and unable to obey and listen to the servants of God?

The temple[44-50]

⁴⁴ "Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. ⁴⁵ After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, Speaking of the tabernacle

1.       The tabernacle is called ‘the tabernacle of the covenant law.’ This covenant is an extension of the covenant that God made with Abraham, their ancestor.  At that time, it was only a commitment. But in the covenant of Moses, the details of that commitment is laid out in detail in the Law of Moses. The tabernacle is the place where the last demands of the law can be met to abide by the covenant.  It is where God’s holiness resides and men must meet that holiness.  In this way, it is the place where covenant conditions are met fully or not can be determined.  

2.       It is made according to the pattern of the heavenly one. It is a copy of a real thing, that is, in heaven. Moses was instructed by God and through him, the tabernacle was made. So God revealed and God initiated so as to establish the right relationship with man. It carried the image and concept of what the heavenly one has. It cannot be permanent by nature.

3.       The tabernacle was moved as God moved. The entire community of Israel moved as the tabernacle moved. God’s presence was the key element of the tabernacle.  When men tempted to control its whereabouts, they were severely punished [ark of covenant]. God is the Lord and owner of this tabernacle and all things of the tabernacle is in God’s discretion. So it is not men’s will or desire whether the tabernacle will or can serve the purpose.

4.       Its presence was a great blessing for Israel because God’s spirit was with it. David enjoyed that blessing.

This tabernacle was replaced by the temple.

It remained in the land until the time of David, ⁴⁶ who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.^{1 47} But it was Solomon who built a house for him. ⁴⁸ "However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ⁴⁹ "'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? ⁵⁰ Has not my hand made all these things?'¹

1.       David wanted to build a house as the dwelling place of God. God’s answer to this request was in 2 Sam 7:12.
2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Here God indicated that God will raise up one as the everlasting king and he will build a house for God’s name. In this way, God denied David’s wish and denied that any one of his descendants could build a house for God, except one, who would establish everlasting kingdom, the Messiah.  So when he said that Solomon built on behalf of David, it means that this is not the ultimate house of God that David thought of and God agreed with. Simply, the temple that Solomon built could never serve the full purpose that David wished and what God planned to do. This also became evident when the temple built by Solomon was totally destroyed by Babylon, and then was rebuilt by Zerubabel and then again by King Herod.    

2.       In the covenant that Moses received includes not just the law that controls our mind and spirit but also a provision for resolutions for the violation of that law. They are all forms of sacrifices that God prescribed to be carried out in the temple. So the covenant and its associated law could not be thought of being carried out without the temple, a physical structure in which the actual completion of the covenant happens. Any compromise to the temple means an inevitable compromise to the law and the covenant. 

3.       When he made a covenant with Abraham, it was just a simple commitment in spirit and in mind, and it was expressed with circumcision. When Israel met God, God gave them the law, in which God described explicitly what it means to be committed to God. It composed of moral law, ceremonial law and social law. Also, these laws have binding power because when they are violated, God will punish them accordingly. The worst form is punishment by death. As a nation, the holder of God’s blessing, the worst form of such punishment is exile.   

4.       As long as one has control over the temple, he is the possessor or rightful authority of dispensing God’s blessing. The high priest held the highest power and authority over the nation, and thought that the office of the High Priest, by de facto of its position, warranted God’s blessing and the rightful authority.  

5.        God said in opposition to David’s notion that God’s presence might be permanently held in the temple, and as the result David and his house will be blessed forever. God’s presence cannot be bound by a physical building such as a temple because God has his own will and he is omnipresent. [49] What does it mean? It is alluding that any notion that believes this place to be the absolute place for God surmounts to the defamation of God’s authority and power, the essence of his being as one omnipotent and omnipresent.

This is in line with what Jesus taught about the temple:

1.       A failure of meeting the purpose of the temple and its worship was recognized. As the result, God was determined to judge the nation and its temple.

·         Matthew 23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.'

·         Mark 11:17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'¹? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'² "

·         Luke 21:5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, ⁶ "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."

2.       Jesus himself is the replacement of the role of the temple.

·         Matthew 12:5 Or haven't you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

·         Mark 15:38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

·         John 2:19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

·         ¹⁹ "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." ²¹ "Woman," Jesus replied, "believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

3.       The law and the temple cannot save you! As your ancestors failed, you failed. But God sent the one like Moses, the Messiah Jesus. He is the last hope for you because if you reject him, God said God himself will take account for him.

Conclusion of the argument [51-53]

You will always resist the Holy Spirit. God spoke to you through many miracles and powers and the word of God in order to dissuade you from your unbelief and sins. But you resisted all these. How are they expressed? In what words can we explain?

·         Stiff-necked people, heart and ears are uncircumcised.  They never changed their hearts toward God.

·         You are just like your ancestors. Prophets were invariably persecuted by your ancestors, including those who predicted the coming of the Righteous one. This rebellious spirit flows in their blood, ingrained in their being!

·         As they did, you betrayed and murdered the Messiah, the one like Moses. You rejected the ultimate message from God, the final hope for you, the Messiah. The only thing that is left for you is eternal damnation.

·         You have received the law that was given through angels but you have not obeyed it.  The law of God indicts every thought of our human heart hidden or expressed to be wrong, ungodly and evil.  But when one nullifies it with his own authority, the law loses its sharp edge to enlighten the truth and fails to bring the right charges against all ungodly and unholy thoughts and behaviors.

The utmost form of such rejection is the rejection of Jesus, the last word of God, the most powerful revelation of God’s truth, in forms of righteousness, holiness, truthfulness and love.  When one rejects Jesus, what else is available for such a person to bring about a change of their mind? Nothing! Judgment and death will surely ensue in due time.  In this foreseeable outcome, we the believers groan in pain and sorrow for such people.

One thing we must know is that such a trait has been there since the Patriarchs. Such proof of rebellion in diachronic history was to emphasize the fact that such a thing or trait is built in them as their constitutional makeup. This leads us also to believe that this is not just the nature of Israel but the nature of the human race as a whole. The history of Israel as a whole speaks powerfully of what would happen if we follow the steps of Israel. It will certainly lead us to exile being under such ungodly power of the world. Spiritually speaking, this means eternal subjugation under the power of Satan, living an unending life of groaning and suffering. In this regard, history is the expression of God’s powerful will about on whom He will bless or bring judgment.

God selected and deselected to make a nation of God—from the beginning, a man of faith, with clarity of message by power and miracles. All these failed; it is the failure of the human race.  The best selection with the best provisions failed. It is quite obvious that we, the entire human race, failed.

The failure to honor God or to be his people is epitomized in the killing of the messiah who represented God himself in his fullness of power, love and truth.

We are not any better than them.  We all used to live a sinful life, rejected God’s authority and power over our lives. We rejected Jesus to be our teacher and the true source of faith and living.

I remember the time that I struggled with the truth God revealed in His words. My rejection was, “I am not responsible to God.” I am not a sinner that is worthy of God’s judgment. Why do I need Jesus’ saving grace? How can Jesus save me from my sins?” There was a strong opposition in me against God’s authority and God’s righteous judgment.

Where to go from here? “Repentance,” recognizing God’s authority and God’s righteousness; he is right and I am wrong! I need his help, his love!

How did they respond? [54,57,58]

Why were they so furious even to the point of gnashing their teeth? It is because they were so right and just in their minds. This is self-righteousness, and indignation – rejection of their wrongs.  They would not accept the charges. In this indignation, they stoned him to death, the ultimate condemnation according to the law. This was a flagrant violation of the Roman Law. But they were so swamped by their righteous judgment; they could not think twice as they picked up and stoned him to death. All the righteousness built in the law was the worst enemy to God and to them.  What about godly men?

God’s consolation and Stephen’s prayer V55-56

⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

It is interesting that he was not only being filled with the Holy Spirit but also saw the thing that no man could see! He saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. God was not only fully supporting the message that Stephen delivered, but also assured him of joining with God in his glory.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

At this time of seeing such glorious hope, his spirit was nothing but compassion for those that were perishing. It was the same mind and spirit of Jesus. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen lived a life of truth and love.