By John Stott
These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke
Acts 6:9 – 10
Stephen was one of the Seven, and Luke declares him to be full of the Spirit, wisdom, grace, faith and power. Yet surprisingly, he provoked some Jewish opposition. He was accused of speaking “words of blasphemy against Moses and against God” (v.11). When he was brought before the Sanhedrin, the accusation turned out to be that Stephen “never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law” (v.13). This was, of course, a very serious charge, since the temple and the law were the Jews’ most precious and sacred possessions.
Some commentators have criticized Stephen’s speech before the Council as being rambling, dull, irrelevant, and even incoherent. But this is a superficial judgement. In particular, Stephen argued that the great figures of the Old Testament never imagined that God could be imprisoned in man-made buildings. Stephen picked out four major epochs, dominated by four major characters, in order to prove his point. Firstly, God appeared to Abraham in idolatrous Mesopotamia. Secondly, God was with Joseph in an Egyptian prison. Thirdly, God was with Moses in all three periods of his life. Fourthly, although David and Solomon built the temple, they knew very well that the Most High does not dwell in buildings. Thus, the single thread that runs through Stephen’s speech is that Yahweh is a pilgrim God. His presence cannot be localized. He is always on the move, calling his people out in fresh adventures and always accompanying them as they go.
As for the law (Stephen’s second topic), he turns the tables on his judges. It is not he who shows disrespect for God’s law; it is they. They are “stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears” (&:51), just like their fathers. They are resisting the Holy Spirit and rejecting God’s Messiah.
For Further Reading: Acts 6:8-15