The reading from Acts this morning describes love in the midst of hate. Even as St. Stephen is being killed, he speaks truth and extends love towards those who have accused him. I think that a story of love in the midst of hate is an important and needed story for this moment in time, where hate and division on the national and international scale seem to grow every day. God has a word for us in this 2000-year-old story that speaks to us today.
So let’s dive in.
Acts is the story of the early Christian community after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and Stephen had an important role in the early church. He was one of the first deacons, meaning people who were ordained as leaders of the community for the purpose of serving those in need, widows, the poor, the hungry. He was showing love for his community through his actions of service. Yet he was arrested by those who falsely accused him of blasphemy.
The truth that he shared “enraged” the people. As their murderous intent rose up, the Holy Spirit filled Stephen, and he had a beautiful vision of God. He gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. That vision is powerful and significant. Stephen is describing a vision of heaven, where he knows that he is about to go. And it is filled with the glory of God. Glory means “weighty” in a sense of something overwhelming in its radiance. Can you imagine what it would look like to see that glory, that heavy and magnificent presence of God? And in the midst of this glory, Jesus is standing at the right hand of God. The right hand is the place of honor, where Jesus, the Son of the Father, would be.
I’m about to give you all a test. (But if you are nervous the answer is at the bottom of page 3 of your bulletin). Every Sunday, we say the Nicene creed, which is a summary statement of our faith, and we say that Jesus “ascended into heaven and is ____ at the right hand of the father.” (repeat if needed)
Seated. Exactly. Seated in the place of honor. That language is used throughout the New Testament as a way to describe the relationship between Jesus and God the Father, who, with the Holy Spirit, are one God.
The twist in this story is that in Stephen’s vision, Jesus is not seated at the right hand of God, but standing at the right hand of the Father. The adaptation of a known and common phrase is meant to pop out to us. To cause us to notice.
Biblical scholars have pointed this out and connected Jesus’s body position to that of a judge. Stephen is in the middle of a sham trial, similar in many ways to Jesus’ own, and he already knows that justice will not be carried out. He has spoken the truth while others have spoken lies, and his accusers are already gathering stones in their hands when God gives him this vision. The Holy Spirit is reminding Stephen and all who are gathered who the true judge is. It is not this mob that has gathered to tear him down, nor is it the judges in the courts of men, but it is Jesus, our all-powerful God and savior. To Stephen, that may have been a comfort—Jesus sees the injustice being done and Jesus will ensure that true justice will be upheld. To the gathered people, however, this is an indictment… yet it is one that they do not even hear.
While Stephen is sharing his vision, they covered their ears and began shouting, drowning out his words.
What a childish and yet revealing thing for them to do. (“I can’t hear you! La la la la la”) Stephen is telling them of the glory of God, and they are refusing to hear it. I have to wonder if fear or guilt is driving them to shut their ears—do they know deep down that they are doing wrong and yet are continuing in it? Perhaps they feel like they need to continue on this course in order to be part of the crowd, part of community. They seem to know on some deep level that in order for the fire of their hate to continue to burn, they need to shut themselves off from this message of our loving God. The love of God transforms us, heart, mind, and soul, and changes us.
As we are interpreting scripture together, it can be a helpful spiritual exercise to consider ourselves in the feet of the different characters in the scene. It might be easy to think of ourselves as Stephen, someone who is following God, doing righteous deeds, and yet being persecuted for it. If you fall too easily into that assumption of yourself as Stephen, pause and also consider, in what ways am I also like the people of the crowd?
Are there any ways that you are covering your ears to Jesus’s words right now? How are you letting yourself be carried by the prevailing tides or the opinions of your community rather than being shaped by God’s words? [pause]
With their ears covered and a loud shout rising up, they killed Stephen. When he was being killed, he said “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” which is modelled after a short Jewish bedtime prayer from Psalm 31:5, and echoes Jesus’ words on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” The twist to notice is that Stephen specifically calls out to “Lord Jesus” not just “Lord” as in the Psalms or “Father” as Jesus said. Stephen is asserting in his prayer exactly who the Lord is--Jesus is our Lord and savior. Stephen, even in his last words shares the truth of the gospel.
He then says “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” With his dying breath, he asks for mercy on behalf of those who are killing him, just as Jesus said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Both Stephen and Jesus are upending what later rabbinic sources describe as the ideal prayer during an execution. As these sources describe, the person being executed was to confess his own sin and pray, “May my death atone for all my sins.” But Stephen, and Jesus, who had both been unjustly executed, confess not their own sin, but the sin of the community, and they beg for God to have mercy upon them.
What a powerful example of love and grace. Even while they are killing Stephen, he is reaching back out, recognizing his accusers as his neighbors. Seeing them as fellow children of God, who, like him, sin and fall short of the glory of God. And in seeing them as his brothers and sisters, Stephen extends love to them even in the midst of their hate.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, may we uncover our ears to hear of your glory. Thank you for the example of Stephen, who exemplified how to love in the midst of hate as he looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.